Defining Duty
by selandora
Summary: Sound declares war on Ame and Konoha; putting them on the same side. This means new teams, a sketchy peace treaty and lots of deception. Sakura makes all the wrong friends again but might love someone else this time around. itasakudei
1. Chapter 1 : Acceptance

**Chapter 1: Acceptance**

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Itachi, Deidara, Sasuke, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Naruto would walk around naked all the time. And Sakura too.

Just keeding.

[well, just about Sakura.

**Important!  
Any part of the story that is written in first person means that Sakura is the one narrating.**

This is the sequel to Defining Evil. You don't have to read Defining Evil to understand this story though, but sometimes there'll be referrals to things in the previous story.

* * *

When he woke up, he found that all of his limbs were separated from his body. Of course, Kisame did what people would normally do when they wake up to find themselves in five pieces; he freaked out. 

"What the fuck happened to me?!" Kisame yelled.

"Shut up Kisame, you're giving me a headache," an irritable voice snapped.

"Kakuzu?"

"Shut up and hold still, I'm trying to sew you back together."

There was a sharp pain in Kisame's left stump of an arm as a thick white needle pierced his rough blue body. Swearing inwardly, Kakuzu cursed Kisame for having such tough sharkskin. As if his life wasn't miserable enough already, now Leader-sama was making him sew everybody back together like some pathetic nursemaid.

"I thought…I thought I died," Kisame murmured in confusion.

Kakuzu let out a snort and scoffed, "Unfortunately, you're alive. If only Deidara's aim was a little off…"

The pain was unbearable. It was like somebody was yanking each of his limbs from his body- wait, they were already gone weren't they. Despite the pain, Kisame managed detect another presence standing in the corner of the room.

"My aim is never off, Kakuzu," a blonde artist interjected.

Deidara sat on a wobbly chair beside the wooden table all of Kisame was spread across. He leaned back and picked up a blue right arm, tossing it into the air effortlessly like a tennis ball. Kisame watched in morbid fascination as his own body part rose and fell. It was strange, he mused, to see your own arm flying around without you.

"Deidara, don't play with that. If it gets infected I'll have to re-sew it," Kakuzu grumbled.

With a sigh, Deidara set Kisame's arm down. Kisame turned his head to look at Deidara and asked, "What happened to me?"

"Leader-sama made me stage your death, yeah. I don't know why though, so don't ask me," Deidara answered curtly.

"We should have just left him in the fridge. Itachi's not even back yet," Kakuzu muttered darkly.

"You put me in the refrigerator?" Kisame blurted out indignantly.

"We would've had to buy another freezer if we put you in it because you're so big. Nobody was really using the fridge anyways and it's better than wasting money," Kakuzu stated, knotting a black string.

"How long have I been like this then?" He demanded angrily.

A long silence fell.

Deidara's eyes were squinted in thought as he tried to recall exactly how long Kisame had been left in the fridge. He eventually shrugged and answered, "Don't remember. Over three months I think."

"Why didn't you sew me up earlier then?" Kisame asked.

"I was busy," Kakuzu answered.

Kisame would have slammed his head against the desk in frustration, if he was in one piece and not five. As memories from three months past returned to him in a slow, meticulous trickle, the haze over his mind cleared. He and Itachi had both been condemned to execution but…where was Itachi now?

"Where's Itachi-san?"

The shoulders of the blonde haired artist tensed at the mention of the Sharingan master's name. His jaw clenched for a moment before he released it again, controlling his usually explosive temper and answered, "No idea. The bastard's been in and out, yeah, but Leader-sama's been giving him lots of missions."

Feeling returned to Kisame's left arm and he experimentally twitched his thick blue fingers. Kakuzu began on his right arm and he steeled himself as the needle pierced his skin again.

"Kakuzu, you know what the Uchiha's doing, yeah?" Deidara glanced at the sewing man who shot him a flat look.

"Stop calling me Kakuzu. We aren't friends," he growled, "It has something to do with the Kyuubi and the information he got from Konoha during the mission he and Kisame were sent on."

"We weren't sent on a mission to extract information from Konoha," Kisame's brow furrowed in confusion, "Itachi-san asked for leave for a few days to go to Konoha and we were caught by ANBU…"

Deidara's sapphire eyes glinted. "That's what you _think_, yeah."

Realization slapped Kisame in the face like ice cold water. He murmured, "So you mean that getting kidnapped by Konoha ANBU and being executed was all…"

"A joke. It was a mission Leader-sama planned out so that he could get information on Konoha and the standard of nin, basic stuff," Kakuzu finished, tearing off a thick black string with his teeth.

"It was kind of funny how you reacted, yeah. 'Hikari, Hikari, I'm not a monster!'" Deidara mimicked Kisame in a high pitched tone.

"Deidara-san," Kakuzu warned him, glancing in his direction.

With a loud, exaggerated sigh, Deidara sank into a chair and kicked his feet onto the top of Kisame's table. He began, "Anyways, that's not why I'm here, yeah. Leader-sama wants me to fill you in on the new plan to capture Kyuubi and the war that's about to go on between Sound and Konoha…"

An hour later, Deidara was out the door on another stupid errand given to him by the stupid Leader.

Perhaps he shouldn't have gone back to the hideout, the blonde artist mused. It seemed as though every time he did, the fact that he was Akatsuki's slave boy was rubbed further and further into his face.

He realized that it was that Uchiha's fault that he was the one who was always given packages or letters to give to important people. If only that prat had never told Leader-sama that Deidara wasn't the fastest long distance travelling member of Akatsuki, then maybe Itachi would still be delivery boy. Deidara's cocky smirk gradually faded as he thought of the Uchiha and the corners of his chapped lips dropped into a disgusted frown.

His body felt cold but he ignored the chill of windburn that seeped into his bones like a disease. His trademark cloak was hidden in a storage scroll somewhere in the depths of his bag. He almost laughed at the irony, just eight years ago everybody thought that the red and white clouds were trendy cloak patterns but eight years later they were the most feared logo in all five shinobi countries.

He suddenly looked up, sapphire eye and bronze scope flashing, as his sensitive ears picked up the irregular beating of his creation's strong wings. Instinctively, he adjusted a dial on his heat sensitive scope and the world bled into reds and greens as he tried to pick out irregularities in the trees below him.

A haze of red covered the forest, flitting about in blurry human forms from tree to tree. He touched a button on his scope and the lens extended, allowing him to see the darting Sound ninja. He pretended he hadn't noticed them but subtly continued looking through his scope, watching as the ninja (eight in all) came to an abrupt halt. They all pulled out weapons and waited for him.

A calloused hand slipped into his clay pouch ever so carefully. The sickly sounds of chewing and gnashing teeth followed, resulting with an army of small explosive spiders. They scuttled around impatiently, vibrating with chakra, and his selfsame smirk returned in anticipation.

He didn't have a plan, but then again, when did he? Art was a quick, fleeting burst of beauty and was built on sudden instinct or inspiration; something he had applied to his fighting style. Itachi (he inwardly cringed in disgust at the name) was always twenty steps ahead, however whenever a rare mistake occurred, the Sharingan Master's intricate plans shattered into pieces. It seemed as though the mistakes were becoming more and more frequent and Deidara was being forced to help out more than he would have liked. Deidara was proud to be Itachi's complete opposite and took everything in stride, improvising as he went. Although the explosives expert's lack of preparation wasn't always the safest bet, he somehow always managed to escape alive.

Two minutes until he reached his ambushers. He swooped down low and very carefully dropped his deathly spiders into the forest canopy. He quickly rose upwards again and glanced through his scope as the tiny red pinpricks sped towards the unsuspecting Sound nin.

As they latched onto the nin, he formed a one handed seal. He was powerless to resist his growing confident smirk as he hissed, "Katsu."

Oranges and reds bloomed below in contrast to the emerald eye that watched them from above proudly. He heard the screams of pain and felt nothing but instead waited for the instantaneous heat to subside so he would be able to see his surviving enemies. Grey smoke blurred his vision and he pulled a kunai from his holster, waiting.

His blade clashed against another nin's in a flurry of white hot sparks. The bird beneath him trembled with the force of the blow but as the man was distracted, Deidara forced one of his hands onto the man's exposed neck. There was a sickening gnash of teeth as the nin tumbled to the forest, howling in pain and grasping at his bleeding neck. The mouth on Deidara's left hand shuddered as it spat out an indiscernible lump and licked its bloody lips gleefully. Deidara grimaced at the revolting mess it had made.

Through his eyepiece, he found three more figures approaching him. He instantly nosedived and in the confusion, two of the nin accidentally killed each other. A small clay bird finished off the third nin with a bang (he smiled a twisted sadistic smile at that) and then he swore colourfully as he was forced to manoeuvre the bird through the trees.

The sharp rustle of paper he carried in his bag made him realize that he didn't have enough time to play around with the Sound fools. Leaning forwards and securing his feet with chakra, the bird sped forwards in an enviable burst of power without ever once crashing into the surrounding foliage.

Heat sensitive spiders scuttled away from him and he turned his head slightly to watch them through the glass of his scope. They exploded when they came into contact with two larger forms that then fell to the forest floor like rag dolls. Energy drained out of the motionless human shaped lumps like trickling water.

He smirked in satisfaction.

The bird gradually flew out and over the smoking trees and after he had focussed his long distance lens, he could pick out faint, glowing structures. The village wasn't the one he needed to get to (that was still another four or five days away) but he longed for a good night's sleep. He was ahead of schedule and could afford to lose a few more hours.

Landing just before the forest's end, he swathed his hands with bandages, much to his kekkei genkai's distaste. The mouths on his palms tore and ripped the bandages in protest until eventually, he forced a disgusting pill into their mouths that instantly stopped their movement. A smoky green yukata covered his mesh ninja wear so as not to arouse suspicion and he slung his bag onto his shoulder. He cast a genjutsu on himself that turned his hair brown but decided his eyes were safe.

He removed the bronze scope on his eye with some difficulty, having to pack it away and wrap it in his Akatsuki cloak to protect it alongside his marked hitai-ate. His eye watered at the unfamiliar pure sunlight and he rubbed at it as he walked.

Damn it, those persistent Sound ninja. They were really starting to piss Deidara off, it was just ambush, ambush, ambush the moment he went out into the open. Although he hated Akatsuki (the Leader and everyone in it), he really wanted them to do something about Sound.

* * *

You know, you'd think after three months, I'd have gotten over a guy I'd somehow managed to fall head over heels hopelessly in love with. Even if he said no more than eight words at a time (ten if you were lucky), obviously didn't return your feelings, was one of your greatest enemies, ruined your first love's life, was out to kill your best friend and – oh yeah – he just happened to be _dead_. That about tied everything up nicely with a red bow.

_Oh, the sarcasm, somebody kill me now, _I thought.

Alright, maybe I sounded a _little _bit jaded. But hey, watching the supposed love of your life dying in front of you never was chicken soup for the soul. And maybe, I was a _little _depressed. Depression was an illness, wasn't it? Ha, rich that, I was one of the top medic nins in the whole country and couldn't even heal my own sickness. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo.

So how've I been these past three months?

Well, if you're really naive and can't take a hint- it's been shitty. A little bit of an understatement that, but it wasn't like the world would stop turning for one Haruno Sakura. Sometimes, when I was feeling selfish or shitty, I'd wish it would, and then think about those haunting red eyes and the world would come crashing down on me instead.

Life had fallen into a boring routine. Wake up at six, eat breakfast, go to the hospital and work until three in the morning, go to sleep and then everything started again. Most of the time, Naruto had to actually come to the hospital and stop me from working myself to death. More often than not, I'd hate him for dragging me away and curse and struggle to the point he'd have to carry me home. Composure and reputation could go screw themselves for all I cared anymore.

If Naruto wasn't so into Hinata, I'd probably have married him. He was my constant pillar of strength, always there in a heartbeat and (surprisingly) patient. I felt guilty about treating him the way I did; be it the two in the morning phone calls, the times I've screamed at him and shouted until I eventually burst into tears or the way he'd always pick me up from my crumpled pathetic heap of me.

I don't think I've said more than twelve words to anyone who was not Naruto. It was so much easier talking to him because he knew what it was like to lose someone the way I had, to watch somebody you had known and cared for ripped away from you in a second. People avoided me now, which would have been quite a laugh a year back. Whenever I spoke to people, it was always the tentative, polite 'hello's or 'how are you's and I'd reply with another hello or 'I'm fine' when really, I just wanted them to take a good look and scream at them that I was nowhere near fucking fine and hadn't been in months. Oh, lovely angsty me.

So, to stop me from killing myself, Tsunade-sama decided to send me as the representative of Konoha to Tea. I was due to leave in a week. The council kept reassuring everyone that the war between Konoha and Sound wouldn't happen and all the people in the know were tight lipped, but you'd have to be seriously stupid or blessed _not_ to realize that the war was obviously coming. It didn't come to me as a shock at all when I was told I'd be discussing a treaty with Tea with the Daimyou about the possible funding of Konoha's army.

Sitting in my own private office, I wondered whether sending me away to Tea was an excuse to get me away from Konoha so that everyone didn't need to see my pathetic self anymore. They probably didn't want me around and, who wouldn't want me around anyways?

A flash of blonde caught my eye outside my second storey window and I went over to it, glancing through it. As expected, Naruto was there but he was speaking with Ino. Ino was probably the first person I fell out with and the first person I stopped talking to. I opened the window a fraction and caught fragments of their conversation.

"…do you put up with Sakura? She's been like this for three months and she's not going to get better, so will you give it a rest already?"

"You don't know her like I do. She always pulls through, Sakura's strong. She's one of my precious people and I'm not going to just 'give it a rest'."

"She's _changed_, Naruto, you know that better than anyone! Stop trying to bring back the old Sakura, she's not coming back!"

"Shut up Ino, I don't give up on my friends because I actually have to make sacrifices-"

"Have you even thought about the rest of us? About Hinata? She smiles and pretends nothing's wrong and that she's perfectly fine with you running off to Sakura all the time. But we can all see she's hurting inside, all of us except for _you _because all you can see is Sakura's hurt and nobody else's-"

I shut the window sharply. Maybe Naruto looked up, maybe he didn't, but I couldn't care less anymore because I was out the door and running.

Tsunade was shocked when I asked if I could leave for Tea immediately, but let me go nonetheless. I couldn't stand it in Konoha anymore and as much as I hated to admit it, Ino was right. I was ruining Naruto's life and couldn't bear to hurt the last person who was trying to help me.

So I was out the gates without so much as a goodbye and finally on my way to Tea. The mission was simple, but crucially important to Konoha. I had to go to Tea and ask the Daimyou for financial support in the soon to be declared war against Sound. Tea had no ninja village of its own and was very dependent on Konoha when it came to military issues. It was in Tea's best interest that Konoha won the war, because if Konoha lost, then that would mean Sound would most likely attack Tea. Stories of Sound's brutality had reached all of the Countries and nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of it.

My trademark pink hair had been covered with a black hat, every last strand forced inside it so that nobody would be able to recognize me. I didn't think there was anything I could really do about my eyes but maybe I'd ask Tsunade for a pair of colour contacts next time.

When I finally reached Tea, I headed towards an inn named 'Classy Comfort'. It wasn't very classy, the entire thing looked like it was going to cave in any minute and the place had a black door. A black door! That literally screamed the place was hostile and unwelcome. The door jingled cheerfully (how ironic) as I opened it and I walked towards the receptionist.

She greeted me with a smile that was a little bit too wide to be genuine and asked, "Room for one?"

Suddenly, the door slammed open and a flustered looking brown haired man rushed in. His blue eyes searched the room hurriedly, finally coming to rest upon me. I stared at him in surprise.

Then, a large smirk spread across his face as he walked towards me. He said loudly, "Oh, honey, I was worried that you'd left me behind. It's good that you told me which inn we're staying in or else I would have been running around Tea like a headless chicken, yeah."

My left eye twitched. Who the hell was this? I had never seen him before in my life. Maybe he had gotten it wrong, maybe his wife was still outside. But then again, how could he possibly mistake his probably normal looking wife for somebody as strange as me? This couldn't just be coincidence, I decided.

"Excuse me miss, we'll have a room for two," the man told the receptionist, putting an arm around my shoulder too familiarly.

I almost flinched at the contact and felt a sharp stab of pain in my chest as Itachi's face jumped to mind. I wanted to throw this man off of me, preferably into the next rubbish dump and leave him there until kingdom come. But I couldn't throw him off without causing a scene and the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself.

I stiffened like a stick and forced a smile to my face. Through my teeth, I managed quietly enough for only him to hear, "What the hell is this?"

He too began to smile and also replied through his teeth, "Just play along woman and I'll explain later, yeah."

"That will be three hundred dollars then," the woman said.

The stranger and I both froze, smiling artificially at the woman. Neither of us made a move to pay.

Low enough just for the man to hear, I hissed, "I'm not paying for your room."

"It'll be cheaper for the both of us if we split and share the room, _yeah_," he replied back through gritted teeth and a fake smile.

In a frustrated whisper, I snapped, "I don't even know you!"

"That doesn't matter, I'll be gone before you know it."

"That's not my problem, I don't want to share a room with some random stranger off the street who could be trying to _rape me-"_

"I'm sorry, is there a problem?" The receptionist smiled up at us in confusion.

One hundred fifty dollars were put onto the countertop and the hand on my shoulder tightened to the point that it was painful. After a long moment's hesitation, I reached into my wallet and pulled out another one hundred fifty dollars; slapping them on top of the stranger's loudly. As the woman processed the money, she slid a key across the glossy brown wood with our – _our?! _– room number etched into it.

The man turned his head and I went stone rigid as he pressed his lips against my cheek. My mind became a long string of screaming protests and I nearly shivered. There was some part of my mind that noticed his lips were very soft, but I tried not to think as he led me off up the wooden staircase.

"If you're trying to rape a defenceless woman, it's not going to work. I know self defence," I threatened him.

He pulled a face and growled, "Don't flatter yourself, yeah."

I opened my mouth to yell something back at him, but he covered it quickly with his own bandaged hand. I tried to bite his hand yet my teeth smashed against something hard, something that couldn't be _flesh_. Alarm bells began ringing in my head, if that wasn't skin his bandages were covering up then what were they hiding? He removed his hand from my mouth and pulled out the room key, slipping it into the lock and turning it quickly. He placed a hand on the small of my back and pushed me into the room with a little more force than was necessary, shutting the door behind him.

"Okay, I want answers. Who the hell are you and what the hell is this?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.

The brown haired man sat on the edge of the white double bed and I took this moment to look at him, really look at him. The features of his face were hard, from the angle of his nose to the stubborn chin, but there was no denying that he was very, very handsome. His sapphire eyes glittered humorously at me and the crooked half smirk on his face was a bit too sexy. Alright, he was hot but he was still a dick.

"My name is Arashi. Atari Arashi," he introduced himself.

It wasn't a name I had heard of before. My brow furrowed and I asked, "Are you a ninja?"

"Yeah, a jounin from Amegakure," he produced a forehead protector as evidence and I glanced at it for a few, indecisive moments.

There was no mistaking that forehead protector and no ninja in their right mind would misplace their hitai-ate. But then, maybe this man was a high ranking ninja and killed a ninja to steal it. Or he could have been a subordinate of the Akatsuki's; they were in charge there, weren't they? All the possibilities began to whir through my head like a spinning carousel, making me dizzy thinking of all of them until I eventually stopped.

"Why're you sharing a room with me then? Don't you have team mates?" I asked in annoyance.

"Nah, solo mission. You're on one too, yeah?" he questioned, leaning back on his bandaged hands propped behind him on the bed.

Surprise crept into my features. I hadn't even told him I was a ninja, how the hell did he figure that out? I said dumbly, "What?"

"You walk too gracefully to be a regular person and too quietly to be a dancer. There's a slight bulge under your left sleeve where I think you keep a kunai and your left pant leg is thicker than your right, meaning you keep something in there, yeah," he explained, the crooked smirk growing on his face again.

I allowed him some little satisfaction, "Not bad. Still doesn't explain why you've decided to room with me."

"Well, I want to make a detour to Fire Country to see my sister who works in Otafuku Gai but I won't have enough money to go there if I don't save up," he explained with a faraway look in his eyes

"How do I know you're not lying?" I snapped, eyes narrowing dangerously.

He looked back at me and his sapphire eyes were much deeper than they had been seconds ago. His voice was soft but serious, "You don't, yeah. You'll just have to trust me."

And for some weird reason, I _wanted _to trust him. He reminded me too much of Naruto, with those sparkling bright blue eyes. Although the rational, smart part of me was screaming not to trust this guy, I was tempted to listen to the bigger part of me and go along with this.

After a long minute of hesitation and struggle, I unfolded my arms and sighed. I told him, "Okay, fine, but don't get any ideas. If you try anything, I'll make sure you regret it."

"Just try to control yourself, woman."

* * *

"Konoha's probably going to declare war on Sound pretty soon," a gruff voice observed, navy ninja shoes crunching on the uneven dirt trail beneath them. 

His partner inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment but refrained from speaking any further. It hadn't escaped his notice that the luminescent moon was absent from the inky black sky. Without the moon, the sky seemed empty and the stars lacklustre.

"Should we hurry up and catch the Kyuubi?" Kisame continued, towering over his companion by at least a head. The gigantic sword swathed in bandages strapped onto his back would have made a lesser man struggle with such a weapon.

His partner shook his head this time.

Kisame then began reluctantly, "You know what Leader-sama will do if we fail again…"

A pair of crimson eyes glimmered like rubies in the starlight as a velvety voice answered firmly, "I am aware. Leader-sama will not be disappointed."

* * *

"I don't feel like going out, Ero-sennin," Naruto complained as the white haired man dragged him out of his apartment. 

"Stop calling me that, damn it, you aren't thirteen anymore," Jiraiya snapped at him irritably as the Kyuubi container tried to wriggle away.

Naruto pulled a face and moaned, "But I want to wait for Hinata…"

"She's not coming back for another week, so suck it up," the sannin growled at him and his student threw a longing look back at the now empty apartment.

Finally, Naruto let Jiraiya pull him to a near empty sake bar and was forced into a squeaky barstool. There was another man, a civilian he guessed, sitting at the other end of the bar chatting to the bartender. Naruto found it ironic that Jiraiya was the same man who told him the three ninja vices, women, gambling and alcohol, but here he was insisting Naruto take another cup of sake. An hour later, Naruto was piss drunk and Jiraiya looked at his student, really looked at him, and sighed inwardly.

He really did feel bad for his student. Naruto had a depressed best friend, his girlfriend was away and he had just been cut off from all missions and banned from leaving Konoha. For a ninja, to be cut off from missions was like a devoted Christian being cut off from God.

"Ero-sennin…I don't feel so good…" Naruto mumbled.

Jiraiya laughed at him and pointed out, "Well, you've had a lot to drink."

"No, I mean-" Naruto began but suddenly he turned around in his barstool to vomit loudly.

The toad hermit chuckled and took a sip of his sake. When Naruto raised his head again, Jiraiya glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and became increasingly alarmed when he found blood dribbling from the side of the blonde's mouth. His dark gaze fell to the floor where Naruto had vomited and felt a chill run through his spine as he realized Naruto had vomited blood.

Naruto began shivering uncontrollably and his white hands closed tightly over the edge of the counter in a frail attempt to calm himself down. A cold sweat broke out on his brow and the blood was rushing away from his face until he was a ghostly pale. He vomited once, twice, and a third time but by this time Jiraiya was helping him to his feet.

Jiraiya could tell that the boy had been poisoned, but by who? His eyes darted to the panicked bartender. Where had the other customer gone? Suspicion settled in but Naruto vomited again before coughing and spraying blood spittle everywhere. Right now, he needed to bring Naruto to Tsunade.

Forming a seal, the disappeared in a puff of smoke and then reappeared in Tsunade's office. The Godaime looked up at them in annoyance but when she laid eyes on Naruto, she stood up sharply. Her chair screeched on the floor.

"Bring him to the medical room three doors down to your left and lie him on the bed there," she told him sharply and Jiraiya set off with a sense of urgency about him. Tsunade's clacking heels followed closely behind.

As he laid the blonde haired man on a cast iron twin bed, Naruto gagged and blood bubbled forth in his mouth. At this rate, Jiraiya realized, Naruto would end up choking on his own blood so he quickly turned him onto his side. The stench of blood was awful and he grabbed one of the many plastic bowls for Naruto to vomit into. Since Naruto was incapable of holding the bowl himself, the sannin held it out for his student.

"Get me two bowls, one filled with water and an empty one, and then get a cloth as well," Tsunade ordered Jiraiya, leaning over the cerulean eyed ninja.

Jiraiya darted to the cupboards as fast as his legs would carry him and grabbed a cloth hanging on the side of the large deep porcelain sink. He filled up a bowl with clear water and put it down beside Tsunade. The water sloshed over the sides of the light blue bowl and splattered onto the bloodstained floor. Crimson ribbons sashayed throughout the transparent liquid, seductively calling to death.

Tsunade formed a large yellow bubble between her fingertips and he didn't ask her if Naruto would be okay. She would get angry and Jiraiya wouldn't ever find out from her if Naruto would be fine until he saw an inscribed gravestone or the boy healthily face to face.

Her brow creased and she forced the murky bubble into Naruto's chest. A hoarse scream of pain erupted from his throat and he struggled to break away but Jiraiya instinctively pinned him down. As Tsunade withdrew the bubble, a clear pink tinged liquid swirled within it. She came to the conclusion that the poison must have been colourless and extremely lethal so that Naruto would have been able to drink or eat it undetected.

"What were you doing before he was poisoned?" she inquired, letting the yellow bubble fall into the empty bowl with a plop. She created another yellow bubble quickly and drove it into Naruto's chest, drawing forth another sound of pain.

"I took him to a sake bar five minutes ago and he drank quite a bit. I thought he just couldn't handle his alcohol when he started vomiting but he started vomiting blood. Then he started shaking and couldn't even walk properly, even though he was sweating a lot. There was a suspicious man sitting at the other end of the bar who disappeared after Naruto started vomiting," Jiraiya explained, muscles straining with the effort it took to hold down the insanely strong demon container.

Tsunade's jaw tightened and her voice was cold as she told him, "Go find the assassin and bring him to Ibiki."

* * *

A soft, deep voice reached my ears and woke me. I kept my breathing deep and made no movement, pretending I was still fast asleep. 

"…so the bastard came back? I thought he'd drag you off immediately to go on a mission, yeah."

Another voice, tinny and muffled, answered, "He's always talking to Leader-sama about something. Would it kill you to be a _little _faster getting the scrolls? I'm getting bored."

There was an annoyed huff and Arashi spat, "Well, it's not my fault that the great Itachi-sama can't get anything done. He's always dragging me into his plans, why the hell can't he get the scrolls himself?"

Itachi? The sound of the name made my heart quiver and stop for a moment before I remembered to breathe. Arashi noticed my gasp and the bed shifted as I felt his intense sapphire gaze upon the back of my neck.

"I don't know. He probably would have made me do it, but since I was in pieces…" the voice trailed off.

"I've got to go, yeah. My room mate just woke up," Arashi murmured quietly and there was a soft squelch and a loud zipping sound.

I let my eyes flutter open and fixed my gaze upon the area where the wooden floor met the white washed wall. I was very glad that my back was to Arashi because I didn't think he was too happy with me eavesdropping on his conversation.

In a quiet voice, I asked, "Were you talking to someone from Ame?"

"Yeah. He got hurt in a mission so I was checking up on him," he replied smoothly.

I swallowed hesitantly before questioning, "So…is Itachi his team mate?"

There was a sudden silence. Quickly, Arashi recovered and answered, "Yeah. He's a real dick though."

"_Do not flatter yourself by thinking that one such as I would look at you," Itachi retorted coldly. _

Yeah, well my Itachi had been a real jerk too. Pain snatched at my mind and overwhelmed it, there was crimson blood on the floor that spread like a sickness and a lifeless body being hauled away like a rag doll-

The bed shifted as Arashi stood up. Wait, what was he doing on the bed…?

"What the hell, did you sleep in the bed?" My voice rose hysterically and I sat up suddenly with the realization.

Arashi's sapphire eyes gleamed strangely and a slight smirk played at the corners of his mouth. He shrugged and said, "The floor was cold. I paid for this room too, yeah, so it only makes sense I get to sleep in the bed as well."

"Well, how do I know you didn't rape me in the night, _yeah?" _I snapped at him.

His smirk became a goofy grin and I let out a quick shriek, pulling the blankets around me tighter. He clapped his hands over his ears to drown out the sound and he tried to calm me down, but all I could was his hand coming towards me and my boobs-

"**Don't touch me!**" I screamed and punched him as hard as I could.

He slammed into the wall opposite with a whoosh of air and went straight through, spraying pale rubble as he went. When he didn't get up, I started getting very scared that I had killed him. Would that mean Konoha had declared war on Ame? Wait, if they couldn't find the body then nobody would know any better! I'd burn it and scatter the ashes, I decided. Searching frantically for a lighter, I stopped when the rocks suddenly moved. Arashi emerged with one hand holding his head as he limped towards me in pain, covered in white powder.

He hissed, "Damn you woman, I didn't touch you or anything! You're so paranoid!"

"If you had stayed on the floor like I told you and hadn't scared me like that, I wouldn't have punched you," I snapped angrily.

He opened his mouth to argue back but we both froze as the sounds of running footsteps reached our ears.

"Why did you break the wall, you idiot?! Now we're going to have to pay for it!" I hissed at him.

"_I broke the wall? _You were the one who punched me with your manly strength, yeah," he blurted indignantly.

I jumped out of bed quickly and grabbed my bag, pulling open the large screen window. It didn't matter that I was still wearing my baggy baby blue heart printed pyjamas, I sure as hell wasn't paying for the damn wall. Just as I crouched to leap out of the window, there was a blur of black and blue as Arashi rushed past and the window slammed shut behind him. I tried to open the window again but it was jammed no matter how hard I yanked it.

"Excuse me, miss," a sharp voice called my name and I stopped immediately.

Turning around stiffly, I forced a smile to my face. A none too impressed receptionist stood there, tapping her foot against the rubble with a hand stretched out for money.

* * *

"What do you mean I'm being moved?" Naruto shouted indignantly, his chair screeching on the white tiles behind him as he shot up. 

Tsunade swore she could feel a migraine coming on. She said, "Somebody tried to assassinate you, Naruto. Your home is probably already being watched so we need to move you somewhere safer for the time being."

"Yeah, but I can protect myself. I'm an ANBU member," he snapped irritably.

"You're a special jounin, not an ANBU member. You were only sent on that one ANBU class mission because all the other elites were gone," she pointed out, trying to keep her hands from shaking with rage.

Naruto growled, "But I succeeded, didn't I?"

"It doesn't matter, even an ANBU member wouldn't be able to survive if they had an entire hidden village after them. You're being moved, whether you like it or not Naruto, and if you don't go willingly we'll have to lock you up in a cell," Tsunade hissed angrily.

"God damn it, you've already taken away all my missions and you want to take away my fucking freedom now?" he exploded.

"I won't have to take away your freedom if you go quietly."

"But I've no choice either way!"

"Naruto, just listen to her and go to the damn apartment. You're just being asked to move," a new voice joined the conversation.

Tsunade didn't even turn her head, as she knew Jiraiya was crouched behind her on the windowsill. Throwing his calloused hands into the air in frustration, Naruto was unable to form words because he was so overwhelmed by a new wave of anger. The floor didn't so much as shudder as Jiraiya's feet touched it silently and he moved to a pale wall on the right side of the room, leaning against it with arms crossed over his broad chest.

"It's not like she's asking you to stop going outside or something equally stupid. She's just asking you to go somewhere else out of the way because if you're in the middle of the city, people might get hurt or involved the next time there's an assassination attempt on your life," Jiraiya explained further.

"You don't want innocent people to get hurt because of you, do you?" he asked quietly, hazel eyes flashing.

For a few long moments, Naruto struggled with his answer. He knew instantly that he didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially because of _him_, but the way they were doing it was so unfair and he really had no say in the matter. Finally, he averted his cerulean eyes to the ground and they deepened in colour as his fists tightened.

"No," he answered.

"Then you'll move," Tsunade finished.

* * *

That stupid blue eyed pretty boy, with his stupid long brown hair and his stupid smirk and his stupid speed and his stupid…stupid… 

_Argh! _I gripped at my black hat, staring at my empty wallet in desperation.

I had absolutely no money after paying for that stupid wall- that wasn't even my fault for breaking! If I ever saw that stupid Ame ninja again, I would rip him to pieces and then ship the pieces back to Amegakure in a tiny little box. Alright, maybe that was a little bit exaggerated, but I would make him regret the day he ever crossed Haruno Sakura.

Giving my hat another sharp tug of exasperation, I inhaled deeply to try and calm myself down. I had Konoha's future to discuss with the Daimyou of Tea in a few minutes and couldn't be thinking about stupid blue eyed ninja who stole money from innocent- gack, I was doing it again!

"Haruno-san, the Daimyou will see you now," a beautiful woman with a silken kimono murmured in a quiet voice.

As I rose to my feet, the woman pulled the screen door open wordlessly. My ninja stilettos clacked against the floor noisily as I approached the straight backed Daimyou of Tea. He sat at the far end of a long room bordered by intricate rice paper screens and glossy tatami mats underfoot. I sat down and pressed my forearms and forehead to the cool tatami mat, counting to five before I raised my head again.

"Daimyou-sama, I am Haruno Sakura and it is an honour to meet with you," I introduced myself as politely as possible.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, an annoying rain ninja was running around screaming _yeah_! over and over again.

The Daimyou inclined his head slightly. He was a slim man whose thin frame was hidden in his huge navy blue yukata. His long black beard had been braided and his even longer hair spilled freely about his shoulders. Wrinkles played at the edges of his solemn brown eyes and there was a tightness to his mouth that seemed off putting.

Swallowing nervously, I continued, "Hokage-sama apologizes for being unable to meet with you in person. The Sound attacks are making things very difficult for her and it's impossible for her to leave Konoha at this time."

"I take it that you have been sent here to discuss a treaty between Konoha and Tea?" the Daimyou asked, his face impassive.

I nodded and he held out a single, slender hand. For a few moments, I blinked at it stupidly before realizing he wanted the scroll with the terms of the treaty. Producing it from inside my medical pouch, I placed it in his hand and his fingers curled around it. There was a soft rustling of paper as he rolled it open and his eyes scanned the paper. As time passed, a frown pulled at the corners of his lips ever so slightly.

When he had finished, he rolled the paper shut and bowed. In a strained voice, he said, "We agree to Konoha's terms. Please tell Godaime-sama that we are pleased to be Konoha's ally in this time of war."

I smiled and bowed to him, feeling as though a great burden had been taken off my shoulders.

As I exited the room, a man in a dark cloak patterned in red and white outlined clouds breezed past me. I froze, finding it hard to breathe, and turned to stare at him with wide beryl eyes. What was an Akatsuki member doing in Tea? How had he managed to slip through Konoha into Tea? I felt as though I should attack him, but the Daimyou of Tea would be insulted and that might lead to them breaking the treaty. He was so close though, I could reach out and stab him in the back!

_There was a strangled sound in the back of Naruto's throat as he tried to hold back his tears. "Kisame…he…he was…" _

_His entire body suddenly began to shiver as he buried his face in my shirt, pulling me closer. My shirt was growing damp with his tears but I didn't complain. _

"_He was __**human**__."_

Guilt crept into my mind unbidden, hiding pain in its depths.

The Akatsuki member knelt at the ground in front of the Daimyou. I could only make out the tall, blonde ponytail at the top of his head (that looked suspiciously like Ino's) and he tilted his head slightly to the left. Just a little more and I'd be able to see his face…just a little…

The rice paper closed with a startling snap. I glanced at the woman who had closed the door, only to realize she was nowhere to be seen. Somebody else – or something else – had closed it and a chill raced down my spine as I turned to leave.

An hour later found me wandering the streets of Tea, without money, without an inn to sleep in and about ready to faint of hunger. How was I going to sleep? I didn't feel like roughing it, but more importantly, how was I going to eat? I sighed deeply before casting my eyes to the hospital not too far off. I'd probably have to do a bit of work.

"Excuse me, miss, I'm a medic ninja from Konoha and I was wondering if I could work here for a little money…? I ran out on the way here, I'm afraid," I explained sheepishly to the brunette working at the counter.

The woman narrowed her eyes and said curtly, "We don't let medical ninja work in our hospital. You'll have to find money elsewhere."

I protested, "But, I'm a very skilled medic! I'm sure I can help you with your more serious cases and-"

"No. Please leave the hospital," she said, her voice taking on an icy tone.

"Miss, please, I don't have any-"

"Oh come on, just let her work here, yeah? She really wants to and you'd have to be heartless to let her starve on the street," a smooth, deep voice interrupted.

I stiffened. Turning my head to face the speaker, I felt rage bubble deep inside of me.

"You!" I screamed, pointing at him angrily.

"Shit," he mumbled, turning quickly to leave the hospital.

I snatched Arashi by the back of his green yukata, my eyes blazing. I shouted, outraged, "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this position! Damn it, you owe me money so give it back to me or I swear I'll kick your ass!"

"Get off me, you crazy bitch! I don't owe you any money, yeah," he blurted indignantly.

"What do you mean you don't owe me money?! You ran off after you broke the stupid wall and I had to pay for it so I have no money right now," I snapped.

"_I _broke the wall? You were the one who threw me through it, yeah," he shouted.

I argued hotly, "If you weren't being such a dickhead, I wouldn't have thrown you into it!"

And then, very abruptly, we were thrown out of the hospital for disturbing the peace.

The brunette tried to slink off subtly but I caught up with him, hanging tightly onto the back of his yukata. He grabbed my wrist with a bruising grip and I instinctively sent a shockwave of chakra into his system, causing him to let go as though he had been scalded.

He punched me and I blocked it, wincing at the force of the blow. It made my teeth rattle in my skull and I managed to slip my foot behind his ankle. I pulled it towards me and pressed against his shoulder, causing him to fall to the floor. However, he sprang from the floor and his feet thudded into my chest. I stumbled backwards as the breath was knocked out of my lungs and landed on the hard ground unpleasantly.

I rolled to the side as his foot smashed into the floor where my head would have been had I not moved. I locked his knees with my own legs like scissors, pulling him to the floor again, and scrambled on top of him. I punched him and his head jerked to the side. With a loud growl, he threw me off of him and I landed on my two feet, much like a cat.

"Damn it woman, leave me alone!" Arashi yelled angrily.

"Not until you give me back the money you owe me," I said firmly.

He sighed loudly in exasperation and demanded, "How much do I owe you, yeah?"

"Four thousand dollars," I told him curtly.

"The hell?! I'm not paying you four thousand dollars," he refused blatantly.

It was time to pull out the big guns now, I decided. I let my eyes boil over with angry tears of frustration and brushed at my eyes. Course, the tears weren't too hard to force to the surface, thanks to the bastard in front of me and my untimely period. Glancing up at the sky, I swallowed with some difficulty and let out a dramatic sob.

He turned away and continued walking.

Blinking back my tears, I gasped indignantly at his nerve. What kind of a guy was he? Did he have no morals?

"He-Hey! Hey, you!" I yelled, running after him.

He stopped when I tugged at the sleeve of his yukata and shot me a piercing look. I crossed both of my arms over my chest and sighed in frustration.

"Look…what about we just room together or something? We get cheaper rates," I reasoned with him.

Arashi paused and stared at me for a long time contemplatively.

He then relented, "Fine. I'm not doing this because I like you or anything, but you're right that it is cheaper."

I grinned. He set off at a fast walk that had me taking two steps to his one, but I couldn't exactly ask him to slow down without the fear that he'd take back his offer or something equally as drastic.

For some strange reason, I felt…guilty. It felt like I was betraying Itachi somehow, no matter how much I tried to forget, even if he had died only three months ago and nothing had really happened between us except for the occasional kiss and, oh yeah, me falling in love with someone who probably didn't return my feelings- again. That was a definite damper on my mood.

We walked along in silence, me following behind him trying to make it look like I wasn't. It felt horribly, horribly awkward. I think Arashi could tell too because he was as stiff as a brick wall and when we finally turned into a sketchy looking inn, I swore I had never been happier.

When Arashi finally opened the door to our and we went inside, I realized there was one big problem. There was only one bed. I pulled my hat further down over my head self consciously, checking for any stray strands of pink, and stood uncomfortably by the door as Arashi went into the bathroom. Where was I going to sleep? I could only see one small twin bed and a lot of empty floor that didn't look quite so tempting. I shivered as a cockroach scuttled across the floor quickly.

I slid my bag underneath the bed and lay down on top of it, staring up at the ceiling. It was so weird that had met this guy again. I could have met anybody else, Shikamaru, Kiba, hell even _Kankurou _would've been welcome, but I had to bump into this Ame ninja who probably had no business in Tea. Sighing, I felt awfully homesick and didn't hear the bathroom door open with a click.

"Hey, what are you doing on the bed, yeah?" Arashi demanded.

I looked at him and sat up. I insisted, "I deserve the bed. You made me pay for the wall."

"Will you _please _stop talking about the stupid wall? I'm letting you stay here, aren't I?" he hissed.

I growled back at him, "What do you mean you're letting me stay here? I would be in my own nice hotel room if you hadn't insisted we share a room that night!"

"Shut up woman, your voice is giving me a headache. Let's just forget about all of that, yeah?" he said, rubbing at his temples with his fingers.

Eventually, I gave in. "Alright, fine."

I sat up on the bed, watching Arashi move around the room. He opened the narrow wooden cupboard in the corner of the room and produced a ratty looking futon, laying it on the floor. Turning away from me, he opened his yukata and threw it into a corner messily. I had a sudden urge to pick up the yukata and fold it; I couldn't stand untidiness. However, I was distracted by his exposed pale back, riddled with scars and stitches.

He turned around and I averted my eyes quickly, feeling like a criminal. His grey slacks rode low on his hips, revealing protruding hipbones and a lean, slender body. I fiddled with the edge of my hat again and could tell that he was somehow staring at me.

"Why don't you take off your hat, yeah? We're inside," he asked me bemusedly.

I paused for a moment and said nothing. He shrugged and for a moment, I looked at the futon. He was probably going to throw me off the bed any minute now and force me to sleep on the futon. It came as a surprise when he instead crawled into the futon wordlessly and curled into a ball. I almost felt bad for him, keyword being _almost._

I waited for him to fall asleep and when his chest fell into a slow, steady rise and fall, I stood up. Removing my hat and shorts, I scrambled into the bed in my red spaghetti strap top and underwear. Truth be told, I was terrified Arashi was going to wake up and rape me or something, and the blanket was some little consolation against him.

It was actually really cold and I shivered, even under the covers. I let my eyes flicker to Arashi's motionless form on the floor and felt guilt prick at me like a needle incessantly. Closing my eyes, I told myself firmly that the bastard deserved it and fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up sweating and sweltering hot. At first, my mind blurred lazily with the heat until eventually my surroundings eventually registered. 

I was in a hotel room.

I was in a hotel room, in a bed.

I was in a hotel room, in a bed, with a man.

I was in a hotel room, in a bed, with a- wait, **what?**

I squirmed as the warm body beside me shifted. What was it they told you in kunoichi Ed? If you're with a man, move slowly and make no sudden movements. Or was that for wild animals?

_What the hell, same difference!_

"Uhm…Arashi-san?" I asked quietly.

If I startled him, maybe he'd rape me. No, no, I definitely didn't want that. No raping for Haruno Sakura, I was to stay a virgin until I found the right man and some stranger who owed me four thousand dollars was _not _the right man.

I tried to move further away from him, but his arm wildly flayed out and grabbed my waist. I yelped and Arashi removed his hand like he had been burned, pushing his back against mine as he moved. It was so frustrating and I was feeling very nervous with a half naked man pressed against me while I was in nothing but my underwear and a skimpy top. I swallowed and the bed creaked as I tried to move away from him.

"Stop moving, yeah," his deep voice startled me and I went rigid.

I hissed quickly, "What the hell are you doing in the bed? I thought you were sleeping on the floor!"

"It's really cold down there and it's warmer here," he explained.

"Yeah, but I'm a woman and you…you're a man," I stuttered.

"Well done for stating the obvious."

I blurted, "It's not morally correct, I shouldn't be sleeping with a guy I don't even know!"

"Well then, why don't you get out of the room and go somewhere else, yeah?"

"Do you _have_ to sleep in the bed?"

"I paid for the damn room, I'm not sleeping on the floor," he insisted indignantly.

I sighed and grudgingly accepted his selfish logic. Awkwardly, I asked, "Fine, but can you move away from me a little bit? You're too close."

"If I was any further away from you, I'd fall off the bed, woman," he stated.

"…and your point is?"

He let out a short exasperated sigh that made his body shudder. He really was too close and it was making me anxious, I could see his brown hair plastered to my collarbone with sweat, feel his warmth seeping through my shirt and hear his every inhale and exhale.

"Will you stop calling me woman all the time? My name's Sakura," I snapped irritably.

There was a soft silence and as I glanced at him quickly, I thought I could see the ghost of a knowing smirk on his face. When I looked again, his face was blank and eyes shut.

"Well, you didn't have very imaginative parents. A girl with pink hair and green coloured eyes with the name Sakura, yeah. You wouldn't happen to be the Godaime's apprentice?" he murmured.

Ah shit. I shouldn't have taken off my hat, much less worn a hat at all. Hair dye was definitely the way to go, I'd remember that next time.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Good Judgment**

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I told him, "Okay, let's calm down and try and sort this out. You just drank enough of that stuff to make the Kazekage want to hump a tree."

* * *

**A/N:  
**AHAHAH. first chapter down! This was actually meant to be split into two chapters. I don't know about you guys but I thought this chapter was damn boring. Itachi and Sakura don't meet for a while, I think, so Deidara's sort of stolen the spotlight momentarily. :) Just to clarify, Arashi _is _Deidara.  
The next chapter is really fun. Well, I had fun writing it anyways. 

Sorry bout the long wait! I'll try and make it worth it. :)

**Selandora (the sickeningly emotional one you all must fear has finally gotten off her ass and written you some fic. Tally ho! Until next time! Or so Selandora says.)**


	2. Chapter 2 : Self Control

**Chapter 2: Self Control**

So, this was the girl who had interested Itachi, Deidara mused. She was amusing, he agreed, but she was annoying. He found it hard to believe that Itachi was interested in her, he had always expected Itachi to go for somebody…quieter. Not that he observed the Uchiha, he hated him with his very soul.

She was small and pretty, despite her loud mouth. It had been so long he had last been with a woman and having her so close to him was making him a little nervous. He wasn't a great womanizer, as was widely believed. Without waking her, he slipped out of the bed and stepped onto the wooden floor without a sound. As the cold air slapped against his naked upper torso, he found himself longing to crawl back into the bed with the very warm person in it, even if she was a short tempered control freak.

He yawned widely, covering his mouth with a bandaged hand and went into the bathroom. The window in it was just big enough for him to wriggle through and he opened it. He leaped from the window like a cat and landed in a dark alleyway three storeys down with a quiet, muffled thump. Producing a small clay spider from within his pocket, it crawled up the sides of the building and closed the window behind him.

With a hand seal, he dispelled the genjutsu on his hair and withdrew his Akatsuki cloak from the depths of a clay bird's stomach. Drawing it around his shoulders, he fought the urge to roll his eyes as he set off to do an errand for Pein- again. He was well and truly the Akatsuki underdog and messenger, when would he day come that somebody would take him _seriously_?

A yellowed scroll was pulled out from within the folds of his cloak and he set off quickly in the direction of a grand manor.

His lip curled slightly in disgust and dark humour. The owner of the amazing house was an idiot not to have a stronger security system. The only thing keeping people out were locks on doors and the shards of glass embedded deep into the tops of the walls. Any respectable ninja would be able to get in easily.

He reached the black metal gate and looked away in boredom as a tiny white spider crawled into the keyhole. Moments later, there was a quiet pop and dark smoke fizzled out of the lock. Deidara pushed the door and it swung open effortlessly. His feet made no sound as he approached the house at a leisurely walk while keeping to the shadows. Experience had taught him that if a ninja tried too hard to keep from being found, it was a sure thing they'd be caught.

There was a flickering candlelight in one window. It was open a fraction and had no locks (more stupidity). The middle aged man, a rich merchant and one time chuunin, sitting at a writing desk inside the room was pale and sweating, his watery grey eyes flickering to the window frequently. He rolled a golden pen between his fingers, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, as his eyes flickered from the window to his peeling fingers.

"It's a good thing we aren't out to get you….yet, yeah."

The lazy deep voice made the man jump in fright and the golden pen slipped from his sweaty hands. It clattered as it hit the floor and rolled across an intricate carpet. It was halted abruptly by a black leather sandal. Deidara bent down and picked up the pen, scrutinizing it through his brass scope. He twirled the pen around his fingers like a kunai and it glinted malevolently in the failing candlelight.

The man at the table swallowed, his Adams apple visibly bobbing up and down. He managed in a voice much weaker than he had hoped, "I thought your Leader would be coming."

"What you see is what you get, yeah. Leader-sama wouldn't waste his time on something as petty as this. No offence or anything," Deidara explained without the slightest hint of sincerity.

The merchant nodded hesitantly and under the icy gaze, he felt incredibly small. If the Leader of Akatsuki had a man of blue steel like this under his command, he didn't even dare imagine the Leader. He reached for a locked drawer that responded to only his chakra and pressed his thumb into the thumb pad. The sound of shifting wood reached both of their ears and the man pulled out two scrolls, clearly marked **Rank S**.

He placed them on the desk in front of him, averting his eyes from Deidara's intimidating gaze. Another scroll was thrown carelessly on the tabletop and the man snatched at it greedily, rolling it open as Deidara took the remaining two scrolls and stashed them in his cloak.

The man's eyes scanned the scroll and he felt something cold build in his chest. It was a blank scroll.

"You know, this is an ugly pen. People should spend money on beautiful things, yeah," Deidara commented offhandedly, looking at the pen.

Suddenly his eyes snapped to the merchant, as piercing as lightning.

Then he was gone without so much as a whisper, leaving the man pinned to the chair with a golden pen through his neck.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing on guard duty, anyways?" Naruto asked Kiba. 

Kiba growled and spat over the edge of the pale city wall. The whitish glob landed a hundred feet below them on some poor unsuspecting creature that shrieked in fear and ran away. As if he had seen the deed take place, a small grin stretched across Kiba's face. He wiped the sleeve of his grey sweater across his mouth and met Naruto's blue eyes.

"The council only wants jounin or higher on guard duty now. Scared fucking Sound's going to attack us any moment now, or something stupid like that," Kiba explained, bitterness leaking through his voice.

With a tiny grunt, Kiba questioned, "How's Hinata? Haven't seen her in ages."

"She's alright, I think. The old hag's always asking for her because of her Byakugan and she's the perfect guard, or so Sakura said," Naruto answered.

It was no secret that Kiba held a soft spot for Sakura. He was probably one of the only ones who still worried about her. He was constantly out on missions and hadn't been able to speak to her much, but he tried to see her whenever he could; which was roughly once every two weeks. Naruto thought that if Kiba had seen Sakura more she probably would have moved on by now. Kiba wasn't a gentleman but he was definitely a diamond in the rough.

"I heard Ino talking about Sakura yesterday," Kiba told him and Naruto's nose twitched in annoyance.

That stupid, annoying, loud mouthed, gossipy blonde slut. If she wasn't a girl, Naruto would have punched her by now. He had no idea how Shikamaru managed to put up with her.

"Yeah?" Naruto pressed.

Kiba nodded and Akamaru nudged his face against Kiba's pant leg, warning him not to say anything. Kiba pushed Akamaru away by the nose roughly and Akamaru whined, putting his head in between his paws in a plea. Kiba ignored him.

"She said Sakura's a depressed, selfish bitch who's so wrapped up in her own misery. That doesn't sound like the Sakura I know," he finished with a frown.

Naruto sighed loudly and sat down on the edge of the wall beside Kiba. He stared up at the grey sky for a few moments before answering reluctantly, "Sakura is really depressed. Almost everyone's given up on her since she won't tell anybody what's wrong and she's always in the hospital until three in the morning, just working herself to death. I don't know what'd happen if I wasn't still there with her."

"Fuck," Kiba hissed under his breath, his fists clenching.

Naruto silently agreed in his mind and was glad Kiba was there. He was so sick of people telling him to give up on Sakura and he knew that even though Kiba wasn't the most gentle of people, he wouldn't give up on Sakura.

"Has this got something to do with the Itachi mission?" Kiba pressed and Naruto nodded.

Naruto knew Kiba was somebody he could trust not to tell things better kept secret. He explained in an undertone, "I don't know too much about it but Sakura got very close to Itachi on the mission. The entire squad had to watch Itachi's execution take place and she completely changed after that."

"Fucking hell, she never should have met the bastard," Kiba growled.

Naruto shrugged and the two of them sat in silence. He eventually punched Kiba lightly in the shoulder and stood up to go. Kiba rose as well and moved to where Naruto had previously been sitting.

Kiba began, "I don't normally say shit like this, but if there's anything I can do for Sakura-"

Suddenly he froze.

The smell of blood filled Naruto's nose and instantly, Kiba's hand darted to his back. There was a kunai lodged in it and fear raced through Naruto. It had struck a vital point and as the second telltale whistle reached his ears, he blocked an onslaught of more kunai and grabbed Kiba.

His fumbled for Kiba's walkie talkie and spoke into it urgently, _"Attack on the eastern wall, man down, I repeat, man down, requesting back up-"_

Akamaru was off in a gigantic leap over the side of the wall, a white blur amongst the green. Overhead, a squad of jounin followed him and Naruto gripped Kiba tightly, watching as the blood drained out of his face and he grew steadily paler.

One of the jounin stayed behind and said, "Take him to the hospital. We'll take care of this."

Swallowing painfully, Naruto nodded and was off, carrying a bleeding Kiba.

Kiba grunted as he was lifted and commented, "God, this must look so gay."

"Just shut the hell up."

* * *

"This isn't the most welcoming meeting, Pein," a voice that hissed like a slithering snake commented, inky black eyes flickering to the people in the room. 

Kisame stiffened in shock. He didn't think Orochimaru would be so stupid as to call Leader by his real name. Even the other members of Akatsuki seemed surprised but Leader remained impassive as ever.

"It isn't," Pein agreed in a voice like lightning, quiet with underlying ferocity.

All of the members of Akatsuki apart from the dead and Deidara were present, all keeping to one half of the room. Kisame glanced at the impassive onyx haired man in the corner, the film of his eyes glinting in the dim light. There were twice as many Sound soldiers on the other side of the room and they shuffled awkwardly, aware that any of the Akatsuki they opposed could easily break their necks.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Pein pressed.

Lowering his sickly pale face, long limp strands of black hair covered Orochimaru's eyes from view. His shoulders slowly began to shake and thick silence filled the room. Suddenly, he threw his head back and a peal of disturbing laughter erupted from his thin lips. As if a cold draft had flowed throughout the room, a few of the Sound ninja shivered visibly and Kisame fought the urge to curl his lip in disgust.

Once the laughter had died down, Orochimaru said, "Pein, I don't believe you have no idea what I wanted to discuss."

Now Kisame was well and truly confused. What would they want to talk about? Why would Orochimaru make an effort to come all the way from Sound to organize a meeting with Pein, especially when war was about to break out between…

"I believe you already know my answer," Pein answered coolly.

Slowly, Kisame began to piece everything together. Orochimaru was away from Sound, when a war between Sound and Konoha could break out. He then came to Amegakure, a place that was tense with most of the other shinobi nations, to discuss…discuss what? To discuss a treaty!

Kisame mentally patted himself on the back. Sound wanted Ame's help against Konoha in the war. If Ame fought with Sound, then they'd be able to get their hands on the Kyuubi and get rid of Konoha in the process! It was perfect, it was obvious that Pein was going to accept. It was so convenient.

"Then the terms of the treaty-" Orochimaru began.

Pein's amber ringed eyes flashed and he interrupted, "My information gathering skills are better than you believe, Orochimaru."

The silence that followed was shot with shock and surprise. Kisame could freely admit he was very confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Sound Kage told Pein.

Kisame looked at his partner again for some form of understanding and saw the beginnings of a slight smirk on his alabaster face. Okay, there was definitely something else going on here.

"I know that you've tried to assassinate the jinchuuriki of Konoha twice already and we've found more than a few of your spies in Amegakure," Pein explained, amber ringed eyes flashing.

Things boiled down to the very bottom line. "Amegakure refuses your request for a treaty."

Orochimaru's face contorted into a snarl of disgust and he spat, "Then Sound declares war on Amegakure."

Pein inclined his head slightly in acceptance and Orochimaru's hand twitched. Instantly, the Sound ninja moved to strike at Akatsuki but the members blurred and disappeared. Throwing his head back in frustration, Orochimaru screamed and left the place alone.

What was left of the guards remained inside for the next person to clean up.

* * *

The creak of floorboards woke me and I saw Arashi disappear into the bathroom. My nose wrinkled in annoyance at the sound, knowing he made it on purpose. He was skilled enough a ninja to move without making a sound and I had seen him move silently, even if it had been subconsciously. As the door shut behind him with a click, I sat up and threaded my fingers through my hair. 

Running water reached my ears and I presumed he was taking a shower. Diving for my travel pack, I decided to use his shower to my advantage. I changed quickly and just in time, as Arashi came out towelling his brown hair. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What, never seen a woman before?" I snapped.

"Not one as ugly as you, yeah," he retorted.

What a lovely way to start a morning.

Before I could open my mouth to argue hotly, he walked over to the dingy window and glanced out of it. His eyes returned to mine again and he said, "I think you might want to know that Sound and Amegakure are now at war. The declaration was yesterday, yeah."

I was silent while I digested this information. Arashi voiced the thoughts in my head, "So now, we're on the same side."

That was so…so _strange._ To think that for once, Konoha was on the same side as Akatsuki- it was like having a peanut butter and ham sandwich, or wearing shorts in the snow or trying to drown a fish. It just wasn't done.

"But…isn't Akatsuki in charge in Amegakure?" I asked.

His expression changed immediately and darkened. He answered bitterly, "Yeah, they are."

"Won't you guys hold a grudge against us Konoha ninja then?" I pressed.

He shrugged and said mildly, "I don't really care much about you Konoha people. I mean, you're not half bad for a kunoichi, yeah."

I didn't quite know what to say to that but blushed furiously instead. Luckily, Arashi didn't notice but I began to berate myself angrily. They were just stupid words and Arashi hadn't even thought twice about saying them. Stupid words. Stupid Arashi.

"Even if you are ugly," he added, and completely killed the moment.

The loud swing of a heavy bag caught my attention and my dark green duffel bag was held out to me. Arashi was holding it out to me and he avoided my eyes, as if he were ashamed of being the least bit gentlemanly. I took it from him and by the time I had put the bag on, he was already out the door and probably on his way to Otafuku Gai; leaving me to go back to Konoha on my own.

Oh well. He was gone without even a goodbye.

Why was I disappointed, it wasn't like I _liked _him or anything and I didn't even know the guy. He wasn't even that nice and he still hadn't paid me back four thousand dollars anyways, so why was I upset…?

"Woman, I need to eat so hurry up, yeah," a voice from outside the door snapped.

A smile fought its way to my face but I forced it down again, walking over to the door. And I most certainly did not rush to the door, that would have been what a silly little genin who wasn't in control of her hormones would have done and I was a respectable elite medic nin.

When we came to a stop in front of a small food stall, Arashi's eyes scanned over the menu. The balding chef slapped raw okonamiyaki onto the grill and as I watched it sizzle, I realized how hungry I was. I then remembered I had absolutely no money.

"Two pieces of okonamiyaki," Arashi ordered.

Hmph, the pig.

Eating to his heart's content while a woman starved to death beside him. The chef smiled and bowed, slapping another piece of okonamiyaki beside the cooking one on the grill. I could feel my mouth watering at the smell, it smelled so good I could taste it and oh God, it looked amazing. When they finished cooking to a crispy drool worthy brown, the chef put the okonamiyaki on a plate and pushed it towards Arashi.

"How much?" Arashi asked, digging around in his pocket for money.

"Oh no, no, you and your wife can have it for free. It makes me happy seeing such a beautiful young couple like yourselves," the chef insisted.

"Actually-" I began but Arashi had already put his arm around me, his nails digging into my shoulder threateningly.

With a sickeningly sweet smile, I finished, "Actually, we just got married last week."

I was going to punch him.

The chef grinned widely, revealing wide gaps in his yellowing teeth. He turned around and yelled to the rest of the street, "Isn't that sweet? These two just got married! Be nice to them, everyone!"

We froze.

It was Arashi who recovered first with a smile, "Thank you very much."

He swiftly took the two plates of okonamiyaki and somehow managed to drag me along with him. The stall vendors all stared at us as we passed and I felt very, very stupid and small.

"Look what you did! Now they all think we're married, what the hell are we going to do?" I growled at him under my breath.

Through his teeth, Arashi hissed, "Just go along with it, everybody likes newlyweds and they'll give us loads of freebies, yeah."

Freebies? Free stuff? Things we didn't have to pay for out of our own pocket? Alright, the idea had become infinitely more appealing but what the hell did newlyweds do apart from screw each other senseless?

Oh God, _no_, I was _not screwing him senseless-_

"I'm going to hold your hand, yeah," he whispered and I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling deeply to calm myself down.

"That's okay, yeah? You're not going to punch me into another wall?" He pressed. "You're not going to kill me for taking your hand virginity or something?"

"God damn it, just grab my hand!" I snapped angrily.

His hand touched mine and very suddenly our fingers were interlocked. I blushed a bright red, noticing out of the corner of my eye that Arashi seemed a little flustered. I wasn't a prude or anything, medic-nin just didn't get out a lot and…oh God, what was the point in excuses? I was a prude, through and through.

Arashi stopped in front of a dango shop and the elderly married shop owners rushed to us, beaming brightly. Before we could even order, a box of dango had been forced into Arashi's arms and he somehow managed to keep a hold of my hand.

"We wish you many beautiful children!" the wrinkled man beamed.

I choked.

Arashi smiled too wide and my eyes began to water.

"Tears of joy," Arashi explained quickly and forced me to move on to the next stall.

"Are you a ninja or what? You're the last person I'd pick for an undercover mission, yeah," he murmured to me angrily.

I protested, "I'll have you know I've been on many undercover missions and am very experienced-"

"Then start acting like my wife, woman!"

This man was really infuriating and arrogant. Why couldn't he have just left me behind and found some other girl to annoy?

"Oh Ara-kun, can we stop here for a drink quickly? I'm very thirsty," I batted my eyelashes at him, trying to miraculously change my hatred into blinding love.

I think it must have worked because Arashi smiled back at me with the same hatred turned blinding love. His hand released mine to hang around my waist as he kissed my forehead. The shop owners behind the drink store cooed and pressed free drinks into Arashi's hands as well as a large bottle of sake.

Sake?

_Free sake?

* * *

_

"Oh Ara-kun, I was thinking that maybe my mother would want a dress from Tea; you know how obsessed she is with the fashion here. There was a really pretty blue one I saw just now that I think would look wonderful on her-"

"Shut _up_ woman, there's nobody to pretend for anymore," Arashi growled.

With a loud sigh of relief, I slumped visibly. We were about five minutes out of the gates of Tea on a pale dirt path. I glanced at Arashi to see how he was doing and laughed when I couldn't see him through the gifts we had been given.

"Did you realize that they handed everything to you and never to me?" I pointed out with a smile.

He shifted the things in his arms so he could meet my gaze and said sarcastically, "No, yeah."

"Was that a yes or a no?"

"It was a no, yeah."

"What?"

"It was a no!"

"You know," I began, watching him from the corner of my eye, "if you didn't speak like that, it would be so much easier to understand you."

He rolled his eyes and the presents blocked his face from view again as he said, "I can't _not _speak like this, yeah. It's my accent. And, anyways, of course they'd hand the gifts to me, yeah. I'm your husband."

"Oh yeah, you're right."

"God forbid they hand the freebies to the poor meek woman with an ugly hat, yeah," he said with even more sarcasm.

Adjusting my hat self consciously, I retorted, "It's not an ugly hat! And it's not like I _want_ to wear this hat, I just have to because my hair stands out so much."

"You stand out more because the hat's so ugly. Dye your hair, yeah," he advised me.

Scoffing, I told him, "You wouldn't know beauty if it smacked you in the face and hair dye is expensive. You know, by handing the presents to you and not to me it's a form of sexism. People naturally assume that women can't carry heavy things."

"Woman, I know a lot about beauty, yeah, and that hat isn't it. If you get into a fight and somebody knocks the hat from your head, it won't do you lot of good. Why don't you carry some of these stupid things and stop complaining about sexism, yeah? You could carry all of these with your manly strength," he said, stopping mid-step.

"I am _not _manly," I snapped, stopping beside him.

Arashi lowered the things to the floor and it was only then that I realized how much rubbish we were -or rather, Arashi was- carting around. I wasn't sure we even needed most of these things. He had started picking through things and separating them into two different piles.

"Help me sort through these things. We don't need half of these, yeah," he ordered me.

Rolling my eyes, I commented, "You know, it wouldn't kill you to say please."

"Please is a useless word. If I asked an enemy ninja to spare me _please, _I don't think they'd do me any favours. Anyways, you're going to help me in a second because it's the most sensible thing to do, yeah," he pointed out.

Sinking down beside him reluctantly, I began to look through everything we had. He was right, we couldn't move around with all this rubbish quickly. We had come to an unspoken agreement that we would travel to Konoha/Otafuku Gai together, since our married couple trick really was incredibly convenient.

"How old are you anyways? You act like you're forty," I grumbled.

I think he must have been offended because he snapped quickly, "I'm twenty three."

"Wow, you really are old," I mused aloud, "but looks can be deceiving, I guess."

"Well then, how old are you Miss Fountain-of-Youth?" he demanded, throwing another cheesy romance novel into the not needed pile.

I answered, "I'm nineteen."

Arashi looked at me with a flat look that clearly read so-that-explains-it as he threw a lacy black bra into the rubbish pile again.

"Hey wait, give that to me! That's actually a really nice bra," I protested.

He hooked his fingers into the straps and brought it to eye level, looking at me skeptically. "It wouldn't fit you. Your boobs aren't this big, yeah."

"Shut up and just give me the damn thing," I growled and he chucked it at me half heartedly.

So far we had a very big rubbish pile. There was a huge wooden box holding a set of porcelain teacups and teapot, a collection of bad romance novels, five flowerpots, a dish towel, cutlery and a black leather whip. That certainly said a lot about the town.

"Aw man, gross, I think this is an impotency drink," I held up a sky blue ceramic bottle and opened the stopper, sniffing at it, "they must not have thought much of you."

"I'll have you know I'm very capable of getting it up," he huffed.

I pulled a face of disgust at the new revelation and put it down in the rubbish pile, forgetting to put the stopper in. The impotency drink had smelled like toffee or chocolate, strangely enough, and had left me feeling a little light headed. Arashi cut in, "I think you should keep that."

"Why the hell would I want to keep an impotency drink?"

"Because maybe you'd actually get laid, yeah."

I hit him indignantly and he laughed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him scribble something into the dirt with a fingernail and read the message quickly. _We've got followers._

When the hell had that happened? This guy was really a distraction, so much so that if I hadn't read his message I would have had a kunai through the back of my head. As it was, I moved in time and the kunai whistled past my ear loudly.

Without missing a beat, Arashi snatched the kunai mid-throw and threw it back whistling the way it came. He threw it so fast that all I didn't even see it fly and the ground shook as something hit the floor heavily. I glanced around, checking for chakra signatures and could detect two more.

A bell rang behind me and I instinctively moved to dodge. The senbon the bell was attached to sunk deep into my forearm, I had moved too slow. Damn, hadn't there been something like this in the chuunin exam? The bell deceived you into thinking the senbon was moving slower than it actually was.

There was suddenly a hand up my skirt and I swore colourfully, trying to push Arashi away and shrieking, "What the hell are you doing? We're in the middle of a battle!"

He didn't even look at me but his hand was out quickly, four kunai in its grip. That bastard, he had taken all my kunai from my secret holster! Metal smashed against metal as he threw his kunai in order to block the ones headed towards us. Ringing needles rang behind me again and I moved faster than I had, snatching the needles out of the air and shooting them back just as quickly as they had come.

The ninja attacked me immediately, having avoided all the senbon. I dodged as he slashed at my head viciously and dodged again when he tried to stab my chest. He aimed for my head again but I ducked and rolled, punching him in the back of his knees. He fell to the floor immediately and his flailing kunai cut my right calf, a lucky shot for him. I hissed in pain but smashed the heel of my stiletto into his throat quickly, grimacing at the blood that spurted up and covered my left foot.

Arashi was winning his fight by the looks of it and I ran back to our freebies, making sure that none of the sake had been stolen. There was a thud as a man hit the floor and I knew instinctively that it hadn't been Arashi. I looked up as a shadow fell over my face, meeting Arashi's blue eyes. He smirked and gave me a thumbs up, but was unaware of the person behind him.

Behind Arashi, another ninja raised a kunai and I grabbed blindly at the first thing my hands touched, throwing it at the enemy with all of my might.

That object just happened to be the impotency drink.

The man behind Arashi fell to the floor with a thud as the sky blue bottle shattered into pieces. The liquid inside had already drenched Arashi's face and neck.

Arashi gagged, stumbling to the side with a mouth full of the impotency drink.

"No, no, _no_, spit that the fuck out!" I shrieked, jumping onto him.

He swallowed.

My mind was a long scream of repeated _noooooooooo!_s and despair lodged in my chest, like a virginity stealing dagger. Literally. He stumbled to compensate for my weight and I could have sobbed in frustration as I stepped away from him. I was travelling with a jerk. A jerk from a country Akatsuki ruled. A jerk from a country Akatsuki ruled that had just swallowed enough impotency drink to make the dead horny.

And the only thing to sate that horniness that was alive and remotely female was…me.

"What the hell did you throw at me?" he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, pulling a face.

I moaned, putting my head in my hands and let him figure out things for himself. His eyes fell upon the blue shattered bottle on the floor and widened in horror as he began to piece the stupid puzzle together.

"God woman, normal people don't throw impotency drink into each other's face when they want to lose their virginity! I was just kidding, you didn't have to take it seriously!" he spat at me.

"Hey, I just saved your _life_," I argued angrily.

He retorted, "I knew the guy was behind me! I was going to get rid of him in a second, yeah."

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I told him, "Okay, let's calm down and try and sort this out. You just drank enough of that stuff to make the Kazekage hump a tree."

"Can't you flush it out of me, yeah? You're a medic, can't you get rid of it like poison?" he demanded.

"I can't, if chakra mixes with stimulants in the body it only makes them stronger," I explained. And that was definitely the last thing we wanted.

He flinched visibly. "Then what the hell do we do?"

"The only thing we can do is wait it out."

"What do you mean 'wait it out'? You don't mean we wait until it wears off, do you?" he asked incredulously.

Angrily, I spat, "What else do you think I could mean?"

A horrified look spread across his face and I did feel a little awful for him, but at the moment I felt worse for myself. I probably would have killed him to save me the trouble but as I was depending on him for food and board…

"Look, I don't like it either but I'm not complaining as much as you are," I grumbled.

He sighed loudly and stared down at his bandaged hands, twitching his fingers. With a dejected expression, he questioned, "How long until it starts taking effect, yeah?"

"An hour."

"And until it wears off?"

"I don't know."

"…shit."

"Yeah," I finished, sighing heavily.

* * *

A bandaged hand slowly dragged across my exposed leg and I stiffened in response. 

Then at the exact same time, Arashi and I both recoiled sharply.

"Stop touching me, damn it!" I hissed at him.

He ran a hand through his hair and his long fringe quickly fell over his left eye once again, his face flushed pink. He grumbled, "I don't want to, yeah. But this stupid stuff is making me _insane_."

"Well, deal with it," I snapped back at him and he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"If I could 'deal with it', I would. I don't like touching you anymore than you do, yeah," he complained.

I demanded angrily, "Aren't you a jounin? You should be able to control yourself."

"_Yeah_, but most jounin don't have a jug of impotency drink shoved down their throat."

"I-"

He suddenly swung dangerously close to me and his knuckles grazed my waist very deliberately. I shoved him away from me roughly and he stumbled, eyes glazed over and disoriented as he blinked owlishly.

"Alright, that's it! You have to stay one metre away from me at all times and I don't care if that means you have to walk through a tree, just get away!" I yelled at him.

Grudgingly and surprisingly without complaint, he shuffled a metre the side of me and momentarily I watched his brown hair swish from side to side in fascination as he walked. It was so long! It was as long as Ino's and I ran my fingers through my own hair self consciously.

Ten minutes passed in awkward silence and I decided I couldn't take it any longer.

"So, what's Ame like?" I asked.

He shrugged and answered, "It's rainy."

"Yeah, I figured from the name," I said sarcastically, "but what are the Akatsuki like?"

His face suddenly twisted in anger at the mere mention of the name. His face turned to the side as he tried to compose himself before answering in an angry voice, "The Akatsuki is a group where all the biggest bastards join forces to achieve stupid idiotic goals."

"Sounds like you hate them almost as much as Konoha does," I commented dryly.

He hummed in absentminded agreement, his arm brushing against mine with a jolt of static. When the hell had he gotten so close? As I was about to tell him to screw himself and get a metre back, his lips brushed against the side of my forehead sloppily and I pushed him away again. I was really starting to get pissed off.

"Will you _stop _it?" I shouted, raising my fist to punch him.

He snatched at my wrist and held it in a grip tight enough to hold me still but loose enough not to bruise. He had already grabbed my other wrist and as I raised my eyes to meet his sapphire ones, I suddenly felt very small and a little nervous. He was bigger than me and very horny- and I had absolutely no idea how skilled a ninja he was. What if he was stronger than me? What if he was faster than me?

There was definite desperation in his eyes and I almost felt bad for him, except that it was my chastity at stake. My mouth twisted into an angry snarl as he pulled me towards him and I stumbled into his chest, looking up into his far too close face. His sapphire gaze was captivating and the words died on my lips, but the memories flooded through my mind like a torrent of remembrance.

- **Itachi, just **_and I was crying but he was impassive as ever even when his lips like velvet touched mine and he then he walked away _-

"No…stop…" I mumbled, his face growing closer.

**- that you're the hypocrite, you heartless bastard! **_and he was angry, and I was angry and then suddenly our hands were in each other's hair as he pressed me into the wall and his lips travelled like fire -_

"Don't…" I whispered, but he still hadn't heard me.

- **can't you see I'm crying for you? **_and I was crying again but I couldn't see his face, only feel his cold hand against my face until his lips pressed against mine and there were so many meanings, so many reasons but I couldn't grasp one of them -_

**"Stop it!**" I screamed, ripping my wrists away from his hands.

I was trembling.

Arashi had frozen where he was and his blue eyes were wide with shock, too surprised to say anything. I could feel the boiling liquid trickling down my pale face and I lowered my head to let my hair hide my tears in a pastel curtain. But all I could think was Itachi, Itachi, and I couldn't stop my silent sobs once they had started. I turned away from him quickly, continuing along the path a metre in front of him.

He stopped talking to me.

* * *

"You know, Deidara's travelling with that Haruno girl," Kisame ventured, his eyes flickering to Itachi's profile for a split second to check for a reaction. 

He was only able to draw out a quick blink (probably of surprise at the strange topic) but apart from that Itachi's face remained impassive and unchanged. Kisame had been expecting something a little bit more dramatic, like Itachi actually turning his head to meet his gaze or his hands tightening into balled fists. Kisame had never been able to work out how close the medic had grown to his partner but considering that she had shown up at his prison cell before his execution, he couldn't say that nothing had happened between them.

Itachi's smooth, velvety voice asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Shifting the biting strap on his shoulder that held Samehada, he shrugged and answered, "I just thought you'd be interested."

The Mangekyou master remained silent.

"We're probably going to be seeing her again soon though, if Leader-sama really decides to go through with his plan. Might make things a little complicated," Kisame commented.

Then the reaction he had been waiting for came. Itachi turned his head to face Kisame and stated, "The girl means nothing to me. There will be no complications."

_Not on your end, anyways. _Kisame thought dryly.

"You better get off your fucking asses soon and get to damn Konoha, or else I swear to Jashin-sama, Leader-sama will really kill you this time," a crude, deep voice snapped.

A smile twitched at the corners of Kisame's lips as he shook his head in disbelief, calling, "I didn't think you cared, Hidan."

"Shut the fuck up and just go."

* * *

The crimson flames of the fire crackled and leapt into the dry air as if from the mouth of a spitting dragon, but the beauty was lost on me. You know when you stare at something for a long time but you don't really look at it, since you're just zoning out? I'm not sure if that made any sense, but that's what I was doing at the moment. I think Arashi was somewhere changing clothes (if only he'd change his personality) but I couldn't care less what he was doing. 

Why was I still thinking about Itachi?

It wasn't like anything had _really _happened between us, apart from a grand total of three kisses and him constantly making me angry or cry. He had never really acted like he cared much for me anyways and he would always be so reluctant to talk. Oh, and he had happened to be one of my best friend's and Konoha's mortal enemies.

And he was dead.

"Ah, damn it," I cursed.

Stupid Itachi. Stupid Arashi.

Speaking of Arashi, I did feel a little guilty about what happened earlier. After all, he had been suffering from that stupid impotency drink and it wasn't really his fault that he was so horny. I could have handled it better instead of just freaking out, but I had been so scared. I couldn't even explain why.

The edge of a navy hakama brushed against my knee and I jumped. Glancing at Arashi beside me, I felt instantly guilty again and tried to relax.

He was quiet again and I realized that we hadn't spoken since I had last screamed at him. I wanted to say something to him but at the same time my throat had closed anxiously. I swallowed, trying to force it open, but to no avail. Arashi avoided looking at me and he seemed a little reluctant. He leaned back on his hands and glanced up at the sky, his expression unreadable.

He began uncertainly, "Look, earlier…"

Then he clammed up again. I looked at him and noticed that he seemed very embarrassed and frustrated, like he didn't know what to say.

"What?" I pressed him.

Shaking his head, he mumbled, "It's nothing. Forget it, yeah."

"…okay…" My gaze returned to the fire and then I saw him shift uncertainly again.

"No, wait," he started again and I looked at him again.

His face was flushed pink with embarrassment and he said, "What I did earlier…it was kind of stupid of me, yeah."

"I mean, normally," he continued quickly, "I don't normally do stuff like that, yeah, and I know I made you feel uncomfortable. Hell, if I were you I would've felt uncomfortable and I felt really bad about making you upset because nobody deserves that kind of treatment so I guess-"

He inhaled sharply and finished, "So I guess…I'm…sorry, yeah."

He finally met my eyes and quickly glanced away again. After I got over my initial shock, I said gratefully, "Thanks."

An awkward silence fell between us.

I couldn't stand silence. Eventually, I pressed, "Do you think it's all gone?"

"What's gone?" he asked in confusion.

"The impotency drink," I clarified.

He sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair and said a little more sharply than intended, "I don't know!"

"Hey, sorry for asking, I just want to know if I'll come out of this night a _virgin _or not," I snapped.

His annoying crooked half smirk broke out over his face as he looked at me in amusement and questioned, "You're a virgin?"

"W-What? N-no, I was just saying…" _Ah, shit. Cover's blown._

"That's pretty pathetic," he stated.

He then started laughing at me and that sound shone through the tense atmosphere like the sun's rays. I punched him on the arm and he stopped abruptly, his face twisting in pain. I then burst into laughter at the sight of the face he made because he looked like a cross between a dying chicken and a pug.

"What are you laughing at, yeah?" he demanded darkly.

Through my laughter, I managed, "Your face."

"What about my face?" he pressed.

"Just a moment ago, you looked like this," I said and tried to mimic the face he made earlier.

"You look like a constipated monkey," he stated.

Indignantly, I blurted, "That's the face you just made!"

"I did not make a face like that, yeah" he denied stubbornly.

A stray ember from the fire landed on his exposed arm and he jumped suddenly, pulling his chicken-pug face again. I dissolved into hysterics, gasping, "You did it again!"

He snatched my hat off of my head and threw it in my face irritably, a clear sign that he wanted me to shut up. I spat pieces of black wool out of my mouth and stuck my tongue out in disgust, nudging him with my shoulder.

"You have a nasty tongue, yeah," he observed bluntly.

Stopping, I stared at him. "How can I have a nasty tongue?"

"I don't know, it just looks weird. Like the rest of you," he said, his half smirk curling up at the corner of his mouth again.

Sticking my tongue out, I drew closer to him, pretending to try and lick his face. He made a sound of disgust and held me away by my shoulders, laughing as I tried to get to him. I started laughing too and when we both eventually stopped, I think we might have smiled at each other stupidly for a little bit longer than was necessary.

Then we both realized how weird that was and looked away suddenly, faces red.

"I'm going to go to sleep," I told him, lying down on the rough flat ground.

He snorted and said, "You don't have to tell me, I'm not your mother."

I lifted my head slightly to see his face. There was a little smile pulling at the corners of his mouth that made me feel warm and I couldn't help but smile as well, lying back down and closed my eyes.

"Okay, I'm seriously going to sleep now," I whispered loudly enough for him to hear.

"Whatever," he mumbled flippantly.

I continued, "Goodnight, Arashi."

"Go to sleep already, woman," he snapped irritably.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview:**

"I suppose I'll take pity on you and buy you a new hat."  
"Yeah, well buy yourself a new mask while you're at it too. You're scaring the children with that face."  
"I said things like that when I was fourteen, yeah."

_"That's what **boyfriends **do for their **girlfriends**."_

**"You shouldn't be walking around like that, yeah. You're meant to be _dead_."**

**

* * *

**

**Talking to Selandora **(Well, actually it's more me talking to me. Ahaha, that's so pathetic. Oh no, now I'm laughing at myself.)

**Sakura and Deidara are so immature. What the hell are you doing woman, they're nineteen and twenty three!**  
Yeah, yeah, I know. I got complaints about Itachi and Sakura being immature in Defining Evil as well, but I think that Sakura and Deidara will always be infinitely more immature. That's one of the reasons why it's so much fun to write narusaku or deisaku, both parties have so much energy in them and immaturity. Well, maybe not Deidara but I'd like to think being with another person near his age after hanging out with people like Kisame and Itachi for so long would be a relief and he'd be let himself indulge a bit.

**Sakura can't hold grudges AT ALL. What the hell.  
**I know, right? But, I think that she would realize that the Deidara thing was really her fault and her overreacting because after all, she had thrown the stuff at him herself anyways. She's smart enough to realize when she's made a mistake most of the time. The quick acceptance of Deidara's apology had nothing at all to do with me wanting to hurry up the story, no sir. (fingers crossed)

**AHHH ITACHI'S BACK! HOLY SHIT! HELL YEAH! Why is he such a jerk when it comes to Sakura though?  
**Eek, my grammar senses are tingling. That question sounded so gramatically wrong. Anyways, back to answering the question, Itachi's trying his best to forget Sakura. At the end of Defining Evil, he even came to the conclusion that he and Sakura were now complete strangers and she was of no importance to him at all.

**Oh my God. What the hell happened to Kisame? He's had a complete personality change!  
**I have got to be one of the most indecisive people on the planet, I'm sorry. I finally sat down after a long time to think each of the characters and their personalities through to better understand them and stuff. Kisame's not always a loud screaming bastard, that's only when he's excited about a fight or something. He's not even that rude- he refers to Itachi as Itachi-san and whatnot.

**No! Are you going to introduce every single Akatsuki member and make them main characters?**  
Eurgh hell no. That would be too confusing, I'm having enough trouble with the main characters now as it is. I'll refer to them or bring them in for a little bit but they won't ever have a main role. Oh yeah, the main characters are Sakura and Deidara and eventually Itachi. Naruto and Kisame are important too but they're sort of supporting characters.

**Selandora (the sickeningly emotional one you all must fear who is now going to run off to play runescape)**


	3. Chapter 3 : Suspicions Arise

**Chapter 3: Suspicions Arise**

_I whisper the joy of this pain_

_The Gift – Angels and Airwaves_

* * *

The next day, I realized with a heavy heart that we were getting much closer to Konoha. I was finding myself growing _attached _to Arashi, not just because he had a more than decent face, but because he was actually really fun to have around. I found myself forgetting about Itachi when I was with him because he was constantly making me smile.

"You know, you have a really wide forehead."

And then he shot that theory straight to hell.

I scowled at him and said, "What's your problem, first you tell me my hat is ugly and then you tell me my tongue looks weird-"

"No, I didn't mean it in a bad way or anything. It's actually kind of cute, yeah," he said absentmindedly, staring at me with those captivating blue eyes. After a moment, his face seemed to flush red and he looked away.

The blood rushed to my face quickly but I managed to cover up my embarrassment by asking flatly and in exasperation, "What do you want?"

He walked ahead of me, waving a bandaged hand dismissively. Weaving his way through a crowd, he headed through a gigantic open gate that guarded a bustling town of trade half a day away from Konoha. I was surprised he had decided to stop here since we could probably make it to Konoha by nightfall today if we didn't stop.

Running after him, I decided not to say anything. I didn't want to separate from him, since the idea seemed so impossible at that moment. It was like trying to imagine day without night; you were just so certain it was going to be there once six o' clock came. It was kind of strange that I had become so close to him in such a short period of time, three days, but I supposed being with him for every damn minute counted for something.

The very first breath I took of the town was sweet, smelling of newly cut wood. But as I caught up to Arashi, I began to pick up on the other smells; food from roadside stalls, pungent flowers as we passed a florist's and the sweat that usually lingered on the air on a hot day like this.

For once, Arashi was dressed relatively normally and not like a lesser nobleman. He wore loose fitting grey pants that had been tucked into a pair of black boots (where he got the boots from, I've absolutely no idea) and a white tank. I had actually laughed at him when he came out after he had changed, and he had pleasantly flipped me the bird. It was a little more obvious he was a ninja though, if the bandages on his hands didn't scream it out then it was definitely the muscles on his arms.

"I heard there's a good market around here," he explained.

"I didn't think that a tough Amegakure jounin would want to go shopping," I teased, a smile splitting across my face.

"Well, I'm none of those things right now, yeah," he pointed out, pushing his Ame hitai ate into his pocket with a sneaky, charming smirk. He pulled the leaf hitai-ate off my right arm where I had tied it temporarily and slipped it into my medic pouch with a wink. This was illegal in a hundred different countries and I thought of protesting, but the irrational side of me took over.

"And, anyways, I suppose I'll take pity on you and buy you a new hat," he said through his smirk and I fought the urge to punch him.

"Yeah, buy yourself a new mask while you're at it too. You're scaring the kids with that ugly face," I grumbled and he rolled his eyes sceptically at my childish comeback.

"I said things like that when I was fourteen, yeah," he said flatly.

I pointed out, "Well, fourteen wasn't that long ago for _me_. Might have been for you though."

"I'm only twenty three!" he argued hotly.

Heads on all sides whipped around to watch us as Arashi's loud voice caught their attention. I curled my fingers around his wrist and moved closer to him, hissing in an undertone, "Keep it down, will you? People are staring."

Then suddenly, I remembered I was still holding his wrist. I let go as if I had been burned, avoiding his gaze bashfully and he began walking ahead again. Glancing upwards, he was quickly lost amongst the throng of people and I began to panic. Pushing through the hundreds of people, I barely glanced at the bright stalls on either side of me.

"Arashi!" I yelled his name, but my voice was lost amongst the many others.

Where had he gone? I could get around on myself easy, but Arashi was paying for my hotel room, shopping and food- and I was _hungry_. A voice in the back of my head jeered 'You're just making excuses' but I shoved it to the side and locked it in a top security room with a hundred different locks.

"Arashi?" I called again, a little louder this time. Turning around, I wasn't sure where to go and scanned the various faces for the annoying Ame nin.

There were too many people! Everywhere I looked it was another eager hawker or another rushing person trying to get through the crowd. Having all these people so close to me made me dizzy and slightly claustrophobic, and I could only think of finding Arashi-

A hand grabbed mine and I jumped at the contact as I was jerked forwards suddenly.

"Are you _trying_ to get lost, woman? Stay close to me, yeah," he ordered and for once, I heeded his words.

His fingers were interlocked with mine tightly and I blushed brightly again. There was something wrong with me, there really was. Arashi looked so focused, picking his way through the people and every now and again pausing to glance at a stall.

He stopped in front of an underwear stall and started laughing, pointing at a tiny lacy black bra. The owner rushed over to us with a big artificial grin and Arashi totally ignored the old man, glancing at me. The corner of his mouth lifted slowly to his trademark half smirk and his sapphire eyes gleamed mischievously.

"Hey, look, they do make bras in your size, yeah," he teased. I smacked him indignantly, laughing at the chicken-pug expression he made. That look never got old.

I pulled my hand away from his, subconsciously missing the rough feel of his bandages against my palm and the warmth. I began to pick through the myriads of bras and panties, ignoring the whole sets. Suddenly, a bra called out to me and I was helpless but to obey. I picked it up with trembling fingertips and was struck speechless by its beauty.

It was a vibrant pink bra with green polka dots.

I instinctively rushed for my wallet in my bag and pulled it open eagerly, only to remember I had absolutely no money. With a heavy heart, I put back the bra. Then an idea came to mind.

"Hey…you owe me money," I said aloud, a sudden realization washing over me.

The Ame nin simply watched me suspiciously. I broke out into a big grin and turned to him, clasping my hands in front of me like the innocent charming young girl I naturally was.

"If you help me buy some of these things, you'll be paying off your debt!" I exclaimed. He shot me a flat look.

"I'm not paying for your underwear, yeah," he stated.

"What?! Why?" I demanded in outrage.

Arashi told me sharply, "It's weird if I buy _you_ underwear, yeah. That's what _boyfriends_ do for their girlfriends."

"Yeah, but you're not my boyfriend so it's alright," I reasoned.

The old shop owner suddenly held out a black plastic bag to the both of us, the bra inside it. He smiled a toothless grin and held his hand out for money, speaking as though we had already bought the damn thing, "Nineteen dollars."

I beamed at Arashi with as genuine a grin as I could muster. He stared at me for a long time before sighing loudly to express his obvious reluctance and distaste. His hand disappeared into his pocket and he pulled out a navy blue wallet, pushing nineteen dollars into the old man's hand with a bit more force than was necessary. The man grinned and babbled his thanks, shoving the plastic bag into my hands.

"You have a very pretty girlfriend, sir, come back soon and buy more underwear for her!" he insisted.

Arashi blanched as I choked. He began shaking with anger and I pulled him away by the arm before he could kill the innocent old man. As I caught the owner's eye again, he winked saucily and made a suggestive gesture. I very nearly considered setting Arashi on him but the crowd swallowed up the stall again before I could make up my mind.

"Thanks, Arashi. That was really sweet of you," I told Arashi.

"Shut up or I'll take it back, yeah," he growled, avoiding my gaze.

He sounded so upset at being called sweet and the surly look on his face was just the slightest bit cute. I bumped the palm of his hand with my knuckles and grinned at him. He shivered suddenly and his hand snapped shut into a fist immediately.

"Let's go pay off your debt," I said and dragged him along behind me before he could open his mouth.

"Hey, hey, I'm not _made _of money or anything, yeah, so don't get carried away or anything," he argued and I waved my free hand at him flippantly.

We continued along, finding ways through the crowd with Arashi in the lead as a kind of barrier. Every now and again, I'd ask him to stop so I could go through things in a stall. Strangely enough, he didn't seem the least bit interested in shopping, but why had we come to the marketplace if he hadn't wanted to go? It was like he had come here so that _I _could go shopping.

A stall on the other side of the street caught my eye and I tugged on his shirt. I had stopped holding his hand because that was really just a little weird and had taken to hanging onto the back of his shirt instead. He stopped to look back at me and I led him across the road to stall I spotted. He followed behind without complaint (oh what a miracle) and when he finally saw what the stall was, the corner of his mouth lifted up into an amused smirk.

I had brought him to a hat stall.

I began picking through the hats. The middle aged woman who owned the stall was engaged in a conversation with another woman and didn't look like she'd be giving me the time of day anytime soon. I pulled out a light blue crocheted hat with a cute flimsy white ribbon rose sewed onto it and turned to Arashi with it pulled on my head.

"What about this?" I asked him.

"It's uglier than your other hat," he answered bluntly.

"What? No, this is really cute!" I insisted and he shot me a flat look.

He began, "You have a twisted sense of beauty, yeah."

Throwing the hat onto the pile, I put my hands on my hips and frowned at him. I gestured at the hundreds of hats and snapped, "Well, why don't you find me a nice hat, Mister Master Artist."

He looked a little flattered and pleased at the nickname I had given him, but that didn't stop him from putting absolutely no effort into my suggestion. He gave the hats a quick once over, looking barely interested, and picked up one after a second.

He shoved it into my hands and I protested, "Hey, you didn't even look at it-"

Then I looked down at the hat.

It was simple and dark green, but sleek at the same time. I stared at it in complete shock and reached for a dirty hand mirror that was forced upright amidst the many other hats. Pulling the hat on, I looked at my reflection.

My eyes looked brighter and my skin seemed as delicate as porcelain. My hair was no longer looked the attention grabbing pink but was instead was muted by the darkness of the hat's colour. It looked much better than anything I could have ever picked out.

Arashi looked slightly embarrassed and avoided my eyes, keeping his eyes on the people passing us by. When he thought I wasn't looking, he glanced at me from the corner of his eye and when our gazes met, he quickly snapped his gaze back to the marketplace.

"Hurry up and buy it already, yeah," he muttered in a very irritable tone.

There was only one question I had now, but it would be so rude if I asked. But I couldn't help but _want _to ask him, but at the same time it could jeopardize my shopping trip and our time together. To ask or not to ask? No, I decided, I definitely wouldn't ask. Arashi was someone whose privacy I could respect, someone I could look up to-

"Are you gay?" I blurted out.

"No, yeah!" he shouted indignantly.

"No, yeah? What the hell's that supposed to mean, you don't know if you're gay?"

"_No, _yeah- argh, I mean, no I am not gay!" He looked extremely flustered.

He snatched the hat away from me and paid for it before I could ask him any further questions.

"Hold up a minute, I've got to piss, yeah," he said, as a sign indicating a toilet appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

I would have told him to keep rubbish like that to himself, but with Arashi things tended to go in one ear and out the other. Glancing at the 'toilets', I scrunched up my nose in distaste. They were two measly holes in the ground with a big piece of cardboard separating the 'cubicles', the men's side and the women's side. The smell was putrid and it was nearly enough to make you vomit.

"Okay, just hurry up," I grumbled, turning away from him.

I looked through my things, staring at the hat he had picked out again in disbelief and shaking my head. How could a straight guy pick out such a nice hat? Five minutes passed and I wondered what the hell could be taking him so long to piss. I didn't really want to know the reason why, but I was getting damn impatient.

* * *

It turned out Deidara wasn't really pissing. He'd be damned if he'd piss in that disgusting hole in the ground. Quickly disappearing into a store before Sakura could notice, he came out with a small black plastic bag and slipped back into the makeshift toilet.

He started to walk back out of the toilets towards Sakura (whose back he could barely make out from where he stood), but suddenly felt a familiar, draining sensation. He knew instinctively what the cause of that sensation was and turned around to face a huge man, almost camouflaged in the shadows by a dark cloak with stark red clouds.

"You shouldn't really be walking around like that, yeah. You're meant to be _dead_," Deidara pointed out to the man.

The man took a step forwards, the light playing across his scaly blue face. He would have scared a lesser man with his gigantic stature, however Deidara had always been completely unaffected by the shark man. Maybe that was why they both got on relatively well.

"Yes, but if I hadn't come then nobody else would've," Kisame explained and Deidara left it at that.

If Kisame was killed, then it wasn't really his problem. He would miss the bastard though, he was the only normal one in Akatsuki. Alright, maybe _normal_was pushing it a little bit because _normal _people didn't have blue skin and gills. Deidara rephrased his thoughts, he would miss Kisame because he was the only one in Akatsuki remotely sane.

"So, what you here for, yeah?" Deidara pressed, moving closer to him and keeping his voice low.

His sapphire eyes darted to where Sakura was standing, a silent warning to keep quiet, and Kisame nodded in understanding. He lowered his voice as he said, "There's been a change in plans. We're going to Konoha tomorrow."

"What the hell is Leader-sama doing? Everything's being rushed now, yeah, weren't we supposed to go to war with Sound _after _Konoha engaged them?" Deidara asked.

Kisame shrugged and answered, "I don't know and honestly, I don't really care. Leader wants you to be at Otafuku Gai tomorrow, we're leaving for Konoha at one."

Noticing the bag in Deidara's hand, Kisame asked, "What's in the bag?"

"None of your business, yeah," Deidara snapped shortly, hiding the bag from view.

Kisame's onyx eyes shifted to the pink haired figure. He questioned Deidara, "You _do _know she's Itachi-san's girl, right?"

"The bastard's girl? She thinks he's dead and anyways, Sakura doesn't belong to anyone, yeah," the artist answered with hints of distaste strong in his voice.

Kisame forced the surprise from rising to his face. Deidara never defended anyone, especially kunoichi who belonged to a hidden village. The fact that he was using her first name was uncharacteristic for Deidara, and Kisame groaned inwardly at the prospect of another complication concerning this pink haired girl. Pretty soon she'd have captivated the entire Akatsuki and they'd all be running around a campfire in bright pink wigs and green contacts. He tried to picture Itachi in a bright pink wig.

He stopped himself before the image did any lasting damage.

"You should stop trying to piss off Itachi-san, he'll snap eventually- and it's never pretty," Kisame stated.

"Exactly, he won't take me seriously unless I make him angry. I want to defeat him, yeah," Deidara said, a strange light filling his sapphire eyes as a large smirk stretched across his face.

Kisame said nothing, staring at Deidara contemplatively for a moment. After a while, he asked, "You're not going to let him live, are you?"

"No," he answered firmly.

Kisame shifted the huge sword on his back. He said mildly, "That's good then. He's not going to let you live either."

He disappeared in a shimmer of water droplets that fell upon the ground and stained it a deeper brown. Deidara rolled his eyes at Kisame's behaviour, pulling out a water bottle from his storage scroll. He moved towards Sakura and she turned to face him, watching as he poured the water over his hands to clean them. For a moment, Deidara thought about dying at Itachi's hands.

His hands clenched impossibly tight at the thought and he had to keep himself from shaking in anger. He would _never _let that bastard kill him.

* * *

When Arashi grabbed my wrist again, his grasp was impossibly tight. As I was dragged along gracelessly behind him, I was acutely aware that I could no longer feel my fingers. I dug my heels into the floor and pulled on my wrist. His brown head whipped around and I felt fear stab through me like a lightning bolt for a moment as I took in the angry snarl on his features.

He had been angry at me before, but never _this _angry. Seeing him like this was like looking at a completely different person, he seemed so _different_. I had to remind myself not for the first time that he was a ninja like I was, not just somebody I could have a laugh with.

Weaker than I had intended, I told him, "You're hurting me, Arashi."

It seemed to take him a while to process my words, but he then followed my gaze down to his hand. His expression softened immediately and he removed his hand from mine quickly, looking pointedly away from me. Turning around stiffly, he took a deep breath. A white bloodless handprint remained on my wrist and it throbbed painfully.

I decided not to ask him what his problem was. We could end up having an argument much bigger than any of the others we had had before and I wasn't too keen on giving this village something to talk about. He ran a hand through his unruly hair and began walking, making no move to take my hand again.

He had slowed down considerably and I began to walk alongside him, the both of us silent. Had I done something wrong? No, I couldn't have. He suddenly stopped and held his hand out to me. I looked at the hand in confusion before meeting his sapphire gaze. What did he want me to do, hold his hand or something?

"Hand over the bags," he said, his eyes flickering away from mine.

Wow, that was definitely surprising. Still, I handed over the bags without complaint. As we walked along, I felt the slightest bit awkward. Wasn't this what _boyfriends _did to their _girlfriends _on _dates_? Wait…

Was this a date? Holy shit, had I been on a date with Arashi for the whole time and not realized it?!

Wait...was Arashi my new boyfriend? We were shopping together and he was holding my bags and…

"This isn't a date, right?" I blurted out before I could think my words over.

He stopped and stared at me.

"What the hell?" he asked once he had recovered.

"This isn't a date, right?" I repeated.

With pink cheeks, he spluttered, "_No_, this is not a date. What the hell gave you that idea?"

"N-nothing," I stuttered quickly and he rolled his eyes, starting to walk again.

"I wouldn't date a loud flat-chested person like you anyways, yeah," he commented.

"You are such an asshole!" I yelled at him angrily.

"Look, I'm sorry for telling the truth," he said, a smirk stretching across his face.

I raised my arm to hit him, but my stomach suddenly grumbled. The both of us glanced down at it. Arashi chuckled and released my hand.

"Are you never not hungry, yeah?" he asked.

"Hey, shut up, we haven't eaten in five hours," I argued.

He pointed out, "Yeah, but you don't see me complaining, woman."

"Will you stop calling me woman?!" I exploded, drawing stares. I blushed suddenly at the unwanted attention and Arashi rolled his eyes at me.

"If you're not hungry then there's something wrong with you," I continued in a self conscious whisper.

He simply smirked at me with a look that clearly read look-who's-talking. I resisted the urge to hit him.

I followed behind him without complaint, simply because I was so tired from walking around all day and let him do all the thinking for the both of us. Where we were going to eat, where we were going to stay; he could take care of it. And if he couldn't, then he was an idiot.

Aw shit, wait...

I was barely aware of him pulling me into a restaurant, as I was busy musing our predicament. Maybe I should have been in charge of accommodation and food, he was from Ame anyways and was meant to know nothing about the Fire country. But then, how had he known about this marketplace and this village?

He would have had to come to the Fire country before to know this place so well. And, how did he know Konoha was this way and Otafuku Gai was near here? Amegakure and Konoha weren't allies so that meant that Ame ninjas weren't allowed in Konoha's territory, and if Ame ninjas were in Konoha's territory and sneaking off to Tea for reasons unknown, and if Akatsuki were in charge of Amegakure…

What the hell was happening? Why was this guy in Fire Country?

Oh my God. Who _was _this guy?

I looked up at him, wariness in my eyes along with something the slightest bit akin to fear.

"Who _are _you?" I asked in a whisper.

Suddenly, a hundred different pieces clicked into place in Arashi's mind. A strange, eerie realization seemed to wash over him and he leaned back in his chair, his expression neutral. He stared at me for a few moments, his eyes a shade darker and his presence a little more choking. It was like he was a completely different person.

Then I began to notice the littler things, like the light strand of blonde hair that stood out against his dark brown hair and the fact that the bandages around his hands were very loosely wrapped, hiding something. I remembered the way he had taken out the rogue nin in ten seconds flat with ease and swallowed, remembering that most of the civilians in Amegakure were rogue nin. I was dealing with someone incredibly dangerous here.

After a while, he said quietly, "I don't think you really want to find out, yeah?"

He was right. I didn't want to find out who Arashi really was, I wanted to see him as the guy I had laughed with a couple of minutes ago, as the guy who pulled a pug-chicken face whenever he was hurt, as the guy who teased me about my bra size and called me woman- not some ninja who could be willing to be betray me in a second for his own selfish sake.

I was scared that this man that I had grown so close to would threaten the one thing I was devoted to the most; Konoha. Duty pulled its long restricting chain with a tough yank, ordering me to kill him but my heart stayed my hand. Even though he could be threatening Konoha's safety, I didn't want to kill Arashi.

So I smiled and pretended the last two sentences had never been spoken. If I was unaware of what Arashi was doing in Fire Country and oblivious; I would never be able to truly call him a threat to Konoha. I wouldn't have to kill him.

For all I knew, he could have just been picking up a shipment in Tea to bring back to Amegakure.

I calmed myself down and as two steaming bowls were placed on the table in front of me, they served the perfect distraction. Gleefully, I exclaimed, "Is that udon?"

"No, yeah," he said sarcastically, snapping a pair of chopsticks and pulling one of the bowls towards him. He seemed hardly affected by the conversation we had just had.

I frowned and looked back up at him. I observed aloud, "You know, that is probably one of the most confusing sentences ever."

"What sentence?" he asked in confusion, stirring the steaming noodles with the tips of his disposable chopsticks.

"No, yeah. It's like you're saying no and yes at the same time," I explained.

"Will you shut up about the way I talk, yeah?" he grumbled, taking a bite of his thick udon noodles.

"Hey, I'm just saying, imagine if one day somebody really hot asks you, 'Hey, do you want to go out with me?' and you say, 'No, yeah.' What are they meant to think, hm?" I set out a scenario for him and he rolled his eyes.

"Just shut up and eat your damn noodles, or I'll make you pay for them, yeah," he growled.

I grinned at him and slurped a long white noodle loudly to annoy him. Dipping his chopsticks in the soup of his udon, he flicked the liquid at me. I pulled a disgusted face and said, "That's so disgusting, you just ate with those chopsticks. You flicked your saliva all over me."

"Woman, it's the only saliva you'll ever get," he retorted, eating another one of the white rubbery noodles.

"I'll have you know I am very capable of getting…getting…saliva from other people," I said indignantly.

His eyebrows rose as he pressed, "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I've kissed someone before," I said proudly and he snickered.

"Oh, the virgin cherry blossom has actually kissed someone?"

"I have," I announced firmly.

He asked, "Who?"

Then suddenly I realized what I had told him and my entire world seemed to close in on me. I was telling him about _Itachi, _somebody I had tried so hard to forget and now here I was stupidly digging the past up again. A fresh bolt of pain pierced through me and I gasped at the intensity of it, avoiding Arashi's gaze.

"Who?" he repeated.

I hesitated before answering, "He-He's dead now. He was executed a few months ago."

An image of a black haired crimson eyed man overwhelmed me. I swallowed painfully and was only vaguely aware of Arashi's hands tightening on the edge of the table while the corner of his mouth twisted in anger.

He let out a long sigh after a while and I looked back at him. He began, "He must have been a pretty bad missing-nin to have been killed so easily."

"No! He wasn't," I blurted out before I could help myself.

Arashi tensed suddenly, his grip on his chopsticks tightening to the point his knuckles were white. He relaxed almost immediately afterwards, making me wonder if he had really tensed. He snagged one of my noodles on his chopsticks, swallowing it. He had already finished his udon.

He said, his voice sounding forcibly casual, "If the guy's dead already, it really doesn't matter, yeah? Dead is dead, if we remember every dead person we know we're probably going to get dragged down and depressed, yeah. You should move on already."

Putting his chopsticks down with a loud 'chik', he stared at me for a few moments, his sapphire gaze intense. I avoided his eyes and looked down at the swirling liquid in my porcelain bowl, watching the light cast patterns on it seductively.

I closed my eyes, embracing the darkness. Maybe Arashi was right.

Maybe it was time to let go.

* * *

When I woke the next morning, it was with a strange sense of foreboding. Somewhere, my subconscious was screaming at me that there was something terribly wrong with today but I couldn't remember what. I moved onto my back and my shoulder bumped against someone else's back.

Then everything hit me at once.

I was going to be separating from Arashi today. We'd go our separate ways and probably never see each other again. There was something so terrifying in that realization, but I was even more scared to identify what that thing was. I knew that I had come to depend on Arashi far more than any respectable ninja should, but…

"Do you want to take a shower first, yeah?" he asked quietly.

For a few moments, I was dumbstruck. He was always first in the shower and the first to wake up. He'd always use up all the hot water and leave his towel on the floor for me to clean up afterwards, and nearly always used up half the shampoo in the tiny complimentary bottle. I then came to realize that this was his twisted way of being nice.

I sat up in the bed, running my hand through my pink locks. Arashi's back was still to me and he was motionless, like he was still sleeping. I swung my legs over the side, staring at them absentmindedly for a minute as I tried to recollect my thoughts. They were all whirring about my mind too fast though and slipped through my fingers whenever I thought I had a hold of them.

I stood up and made my way to the bathroom. Maybe the hot water would do me some good.

Pressing my hand against the pale porcelain tiles, I sighed and closed my eyes. The warm spray of the shower was a welcome distraction as it beat down upon my back and I could hear Arashi moving around outside. He was probably packing up his things. I blinked rapidly as the shower water filled my eyes and made them burn.

When I came out of the shower, he was sat on the bed, simply staring at the white wall with a blank expression on his face. He looked so deep in thought and I was unwilling to break the silence that was as fragile as glass.

In a quiet whisper, I said, "You can take a shower now."

He looked up at me, as if he had only just noticed I had finished. One of his infuriating half smirks stretched across his face, a smirk I was going to miss even though it made my blood boil.

"Nah, let's get going. Sooner the better, yeah?" he said, standing up.

I nodded wordlessly. The sooner the better? I was angry now, did he _want _to get away from me? My anger ebbed away and gave way to sadness and depression, emotions that had all but disappeared in this man's presence but were being dug up now. Was I really so terrible that he didn't want to be with me anymore?

I made to pack my things away, only to realize that all of them were missing and my duffel bag sat on my bed innocently. I picked it up, noticing all of my things were already packed and looked up at Arashi to say something. He avoided my gaze and I shut my mouth, realizing that he'd be embarrassed if I did thank him. All these little courtesies he was doing for me now were making me that much more unhappy to see him go.

"Come on, yeah," he mumbled, walking out of the door.

I followed behind him, for what seemed like the last time.

"So, what're you going to do once you see your sister?" I asked him as we raced through the treetops.

For the quickest of moments, I thought I saw confusion flit over his face. However, when I blinked again his expression was neutral and he shrugged, saying, "Take her out, I guess. There are a few good restaurants I know, yeah."

He wasn't really going to go see his sister, I could tell that much by this point. A stony silence fell as the air became tense once again. The fear of not knowing who he really was overwhelmed me once again, but after a while I forced a smile to my face and ignored the nagging fear.

"The ones in Otafuku Gai? They're all awful," I grimaced, "nowhere near as good as the ones in Konoha."

"Oh? Well then, what would you recommend in Konoha, Ms. Gourmet-Expert?" he pressed, his smirk returning.

I rolled my eyes, ruining what little effect the eye roll could have had with a small smile. I told him, "Ichiraku's."

"Ichiraku's? What is that, a household department store or something, yeah?" he asked, his nose pointing upwards in distaste.

I looked at him with a look that clearly read what-are-you-smoking? I said, "How the hell do you deduce Ichiraku's is a household department store when you just asked me about good restaurants in Konoha?"

"The name sounds like one. _Ichiraku. _It sounds like the people who run it are cocky bastards if they call their restaurant number one, yeah," he commented.

"Hey, the people there are very nice, especially the waitress," I protested.

His eyes lit up as he questioned, "Waitress? Is she hot, yeah?"

"She's a civilian," I told him flatly.

"So…?"

"Don't you find it strange, having a relationship with a civilian?" I asked him, a bewildered expression growing on my face.

"Most civilian women don't care about one night stands," he explained with a smirk and I threw him a disgusted expression.

"You just use women like that?" I demanded.

"It's not like they were complaining, yeah," he said cockily.

"Yeah, but, that's just- just-"

He supplied, "Smart? Amazing? Sexy? Mysterious?"

"_Terrible! _How can you do such a thing?" I exclaimed, horrified.

He started laughing all of a sudden and I glared at him, demanding, "What's so funny? This isn't funny! Don't laugh, these poor women are being used by some heartless Ame ninja who-"

"I was _kidding, _yeah. God, you're so gullible," he explained gleefully.

My mouth opened and closed like a fish's in anger and I stopped, my eyes blazing with fury. He continued running, flashing his teeth at me in a smirk and I ran after him.

"I hate you! You're such a jerk!" I shouted at him.

"Don't be so loud, your voice is ugly, yeah," he threw back.

I blurted indignantly, "Well at least everything I say doesn't have a stupid _yeah _at the end!"

"I told you, it's my accent, yeah," he argued defensively.

"What accent, I've never heard an accent like that," I scoffed.

"It's from Iw-Amegakure," he quickly said.

Iw-Amegakure? Was he just about to say Iwagakure? Why would he get the two mixed up…?

"_Who are you?"_

"_I don't think you really want to know, yeah."_

"We're here, yeah," he announced and I stopped in my tracks.

I could see Konoha's looming gate in the distance and he turned to me, a small smirk on his face. He said, "This is it for me, yeah. If I go any further, your ANBU will probably be on my ass."

My entire world seemed to stop.

In a blinding moment of desperation, the urge to hold onto him forever suddenly surfaced in my mind. It was with some horror I realized that I had become _dependant _on Arashi. He had somehow replaced Naruto as my pillar of strength and I was scared that if I left him, my past with Itachi would chase after me once again. It had been so easy to forget with him and I…I didn't want to remember.

But at the same time, he was so _dangerous_. He could turn on me and kill me at any moment, and who knew what crimes he had committed? I would have to fight against him eventually, if he was from Amegakure because Akatsuki was in charge there. There was no chance Akatsuki would give up on Naruto, ever, and this friendship would only hurt me in the future.

I was frozen, unable to say anything or move.

"So, I guess that this is goodbye, yeah?" he said, scratching at his head.

His words struck a nasty chord inside of me. I stuttered in a whisper, "A-Arashi…I-"

"Aw, hell, don't start crying on me, yeah? What kind of a ninja are you?" he asked in frustration.

"Shut up, I'm not crying," I growled at him.

When I looked at Arashi, his smirk was in place as usual. I had a sudden urge to hit him, hug him and swear at him all at the same time. I didn't do any of these however and instead clasped my hands in front of me tightly. I trained my eyes upon the branch we stood on, refusing to look at Arashi.

There was a loud exasperated sigh and then my chin was tilted up much more gently than I could ever possibly imagine a ninja was capable of. I could feel every individual callous on his fingertips and my breath hitched in my throat as I stared into his sapphire blue eyes.

"You're so emotional, yeah," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I laughed weakly and smiled at him, a single heartbreaking smile. Even if he was a missing-nin, a killer, a ninja of Amegakure, I was strangely _happy _I had met him. I couldn't force any words out because I was sure they'd come out an unintelligible string of nonsense. He continued looking at me, like I was a piece of art for him to muse over, and he leaned forwards ever so slightly.

_**see I'm crying for you? **__and suddenly we were too close and everything was so soft, his lips, his hair, but it was gone in the next instant and-_

I had flinched before I could stop myself. Maybe I had imagined him leaning in, maybe I hadn't, but he looked as though nothing had happened. I swallowed again and realized that he must have seen my flinch.

"I…I'm sorry," I apologized quietly

"For what, yeah?" he muttered, releasing my chin and looking away.

A chilling wind blew, wrapping around us and spiralling majestically in a flurry of amber leaves. I swallowed and began, "Arashi, I'll-"

"Just shut up, woman. I'll see you soon, yeah. You'll find out soon enough who I am but don't be angry," he said.

He disappeared in a shower of white feathers.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : The First Half**

_"Akatsuki requests an audience with the Hokage."_

"You need to get laid. Even Hidan's been laid and he's a monk."

**"Control myself? I can't do that, since all you bastards are doing it for me!"**

_"I c-can't find Naruto-k-kun anywhere and h-he's suddenly disappeared."_

"I'm just telling you the truth. If you fight Itachi, you're going to fucking die and nobody's going to care."

**"Itachi?"**

* * *

**Talking to Selandora **(hey, this section actually has a fixed name!)

**What the hell took you so long to update?**  
Uhh...I've been having trouble trying to plan out this story. It's all good now, and I've even worked out exactly what happened between Itachi and Shisui. Also, the newest Naruto chapters have been driving me insane and I HATE WHAT HAPPENED. OH MY GOD. KILL SASUKE.

**Shouldn't Sakura be more suspicious? And why's she such an emotional pushover?**  
Weelll, Sakura is an emotional wreck wright now. I think that when people lose people, they can go two ways - the first one, like Kakashi, is to completely clam up and become utterly emotionless or the second way, like Sakura in this fic, is to go through a breakdown and become dependant on people. Don't worry, she'll be back to normal in no time.

**Where the fuck is Itachi? Isn't this an itasaku?**  
He's coming, don't worry. Next chapter! And then the chapter after that should have some itasaku action.

**Is this the end of the Deidara arc? It's so booooring.**  
It's the end. (hoorah! It was a pain in the ass for me to write too) The next one is the war arc and it has a mix of itasaku and deisaku and lots of deidara versus itachi. Stuff to look forwards to, once I finish writing it.

**Selandora (the sickeningly emotional one you all must fear)**

P.S. Please ask me questions. I'm running out of stuff to put at the end.


	4. Chapter 4 : The First Half

In the ANBU main security headquarters, hundreds of ninjas on guard began reporting in urgently all at once.

"_This is Touya Akira on the east wall, I have sighted ninjas wearing Akatsuki cloaks-" _

"_about sixteen six foot ninja wearing black cloaks with red clouds-" "Akatsuki members-" "slashed headbands-" "Akatsuki-" "Akatsuki members-" "Akatsuki-"_

"_Akatsuki has approached the entrance gate, but have not engaged in battle."_

The leader of ANBU's security division leaned forwards to speak into a microphone, the horizontal slash across his nose coffee brown to contrast his tanned skin.

"Do not engage but do not let them enter. Ask what they want," he said calmly and leaned backwards in his plastic black computer chair.

There was a long, crackling pause and then a different voice filled the room again, _"Akatsuki requests an audience with the Hokage."_

Iruka sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He pressed a button on another smaller microphone and swivelled towards it, speaking, "Hokage-sama, Akatsuki are at the main gates. They are requesting to see you."

"_Already?" _Tsunade mumbled under her breath before raising it again, _"Allow them to come but send eight squads of ANBU to escort them. And send the Hokage's guard to my office as well."_

Iruka's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise at how willing she was to let Akatsuki into Konoha, it was almost as if she had been expecting them. He sighed and shook his head, following orders. He pressed a white button on his right that led straight to the earpieces in every ANBU member's ear, "Requesting squads two, ten, twelve, six, seven, sixteen, twenty four and fifty two, report to the main gates to escort Akatsuki to Tsunade-sama's office."

In Tsunade's office, Jiraiya had come the moment she called him. It hadn't taken much to persuade him into coming, she had just needed to mention the words 'Akatsuki' and 'main gates' and he had appeared miraculously in front of her table. She leaned forwards, elbows on the table and hands clasped below her chin.

"Bring Naruto to the Fourth's," she ordered him.

It was one of the few times in Jiraiya's life where he could take an order from Tsunade without protesting or commenting. He disappeared in a greyish cloud of smoke and she sighed once he had left. It wasn't that she was scared of Akatsuki, it was just a tad bit daunting that the entire group had come to see _her_. In an instant, fourteen black clad ninja appeared around her table, her personal guard. They were made up of ninja who could take on an Akatsuki member single-handedly and come out with a possible chance of victory, however those ninja were far and few.

Barely moments after the Hokage's guard appeared, the door creaked open. Everybody in the room tensed at the sight of the new not so welcome visitors and they filed in silently. Their faces were blurred, probably by a strong genjutsu, and Tsunade couldn't make out any of their faces.

"Why are the Akatsuki in Konoha?" she demanded, leaning back in her chair with raised eyebrows.

She couldn't pick out which one was the leader, all of the ninja were stoic and none of them moved forwards. Presuming the next person who spoke would be the leader, she waited.

However, the silence was broken by three simultaneous voices. They spoke in perfect timing, in fluctuating tones, "Amegakure has come to discuss a treaty."

"…a treaty? What is the meaning of this?" she said in complete disbelief.

"Amegakure is now at war with Sound. We share a similar enemy and it is in both of our best interests if we form an alliance," three different voices spoke this time.

Tsunade had absolutely no intention of forming any alliance with Amegakure. She hated the place from the very depths of her heart and they were kidnapping the bijuu- and Naruto was a bijuu. She would protect the ninjas of her village and she knew that an alliance with Amegakusre would only help them pinpoint Naruto to kidnap him for their devilish plans. Not that she knew of any of these plans, but they couldn't have been any good.

As she opened her mouth to refuse the alliance, the doors slammed open behind the Akatsuki. Two old withering council members bustled in, their faces livid.

"Why weren't we told about this conference?" the elder member asked, his thick white eyebrows knitting together in a displeased frown.

"You weren't needed," Tsunade answered curtly.

A tense silence followed. An amused smirk pulled at the corners of Deidara's mouth underneath his mask and he could definitely see where Sakura had inherited her snarky, aggressive personality from. The woman seemed hardly a day over twenty five and damn hot, but after hearing how long she had been in charge Deidara had been completely turned off.

The elderly female council member stepped forwards in front of Tsunade's desk, blocking her from view. She smiled a tense smile that barely reached her eyes and said, "We would like to further discuss this treaty in more detail. If you please…"

* * *

More than three times out of five, I returned to Konoha with a fake smile with an even faker aura of kindness and a forced greeting. This time, I didn't even bother with any falsities and scribbled my name on the check in log for returning ninjas. When the chuunin on duty greeted me, I managed a soft smile but said nothing.

I pushed open the door to my apartment and shut it behind me silently, sinking onto the pale green bed. For a few long moments, my vision blurred in and out of focus as my mind drifted. Lying down, I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. The whitewashed walls of the apartment seemed to curve inwards inquiringly and the light streaming through a dusty window was too bright. I curled into a ball away from the sunlight, fixing my eyes on the shifting shadows that painted a fluctuating picture across the glossy wood.

"Fucking hell," I hissed to myself.

Frustration broke through my self control like flooding waters through a dam and I grit my teeth, my entire body tensing. I had an urge to throw something, anything, and I could feel the emotion wracking through me like an illness. My hands balled into fists, my fingernails drawing blood from my palms as I inhaled sharply. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to compress myself as small as possible in the hopes that maybe I'd disappear.

When my hands were wet and sticky and my muscles tired, I flipped onto my stomach and swallowed. Then, as if I had never swallowed before, I swallowed again, and again, and again until I was certain of the lump that had formed there as my eyes boiled over. Burying my head into my pillow, my fingers tightened around the corners of the cover.

I reached out a hand blindly for my backpack, trying to find my tube of antidepressants. I hadn't used them once when I had been travelling with Arashi - _Arashi_ - and instead of the tube, I touched a plastic bag. The crisp rustling sound drew my attention to it and uncertainly, I pulled it out. I stared at it for a long time before drawing out the green and pink bra inside.

-**don't start crying, what kind of a ninja are you? **_but he was smirking as he said this, smiling even, and I was strangely happy_-

My hand returned to my bag and I pulled out the clear orange tube of antidepressants. I hadn't taken a single one in Arashi's presence, not because I was ashamed to pull them out around him but because I hadn't needed them when I was with him. The tiny white pills rattled tonelessly inside their container and I stared at them.

I shifted and the plastic bag rustled again. With my other hand, I opened it and pulled out something I hadn't bought, something cold, cube shaped and with a flimsy note attached to it. I opened the container first and looked inside it, seeing a black powder. A jar of hair dye. Then I looked at the note and read the messy scrawl.

_You're stupid if you still want to wear an ugly hat on a mission, yeah. _

_Arashi_

A brilliant smile stretched across my face, a smile I couldn't hold back even if I wanted to. The tube of antidepressants was forgotten.

* * *

"She wasn't half bad to look at either, even if she was loud. She was just begging me for more," Deidara said to Hidan a little more loudly than usual, his eyes darting to Itachi's figure some few feet off.

The very bare dining room four of the few Akatsuki members sat in was dusty and had obviously been out of use for a long time. Deidara was standing on the wooden floor that was covered by a centimetre thick layer of dust with his back to a moth eaten curtain that let in patchy sunlight. Itachi sat on a chair beside Kisame, while Hidan leaned against a grey counter. A box of knives was half opened on the countertop and the monk was playing with it experimentally, cutting his thumb and watching the blood trickle down with hungry eyes.

Kisame's gaze flickered between the blonde haired artist and the onyx haired Mangekyou master, interested in the developments. Itachi seemed unmoved by Deidara's comments and the artist spoke louder, trying to draw Itachi's attention.

"Best looking girl I've seen in a while, and she invited me around to her place and everything too yeah," he continued.

Still, Itachi remained impassive, ignorant even.

"And she had the best-"

"Shut up, Deidara, you sound like a lovesick girl," Hidan barked in annoyance, driving the knife into the table near Itachi. He didn't so much as blink.

Deidara bristled and snapped, "At least women still turn me on, you freak."

"You didn't even get any, so shut up," Hidan spat.

Deidara argued, "Hey, how do you know I didn't get any, yeah? I could've been up all last night with this woman-"

"The followers of Jashin can always tell," Hidan said, a disconcerting glaze forming across his eyes as he grinned widely.

Itachi finally moved, and it was an unhurried walk towards the door. Kisame's eyes followed him and remained on the door he went through even after it closed as he thought contemplatively. He didn't notice when Deidara and Hidan finally moved towards him now that Itachi was gone, though Itachi's presence did happen to have a strange effect on people. Deidara pulled out a box from underneath the table as a seat, refusing to sit where Itachi had sat moments before so Hidan took the now empty seat.

"So, how long do you think we're going to be here, Kisame?" Deidara pressed the blue skinned man, dragging him away from his enigmatic trail of thought.

It wasn't a bad deal, Kisame mused. There was a room for each of the Akatsuki members, a kitchen and a training room. And, Akatsuki could move around Konoha as long as they didn't draw attention to themselves- well except for Deidara.

"Not long. Leader-sama's probably got agents all over Sound and Konoha's got the biggest army so the war should be over quickly," he said and Hidan frowned.

"That's bullshit. Leader-san will definitely go after the Kyuubi, he's not a fucking idiot," he interrupted and Kisame shrugged, leaning further back in his chair.

"How much do you think Leaf hookers cost?" Kisame asked mildly, changing the topic.

"I swear to Jashin-sama, you bring a girl back and I will make her a sacrifice," Hidan growled irritably.

"Deidara, you won't mind me bringing back a Leaf girl, will you? Not after all those fun nights with the blossom girl," Kisame asked the artist.

"Fuck off, yeah," Deidara said in a clipped tone, gripping the knife embedded in the tabletop.

Kisame chuckled and commented, "You need to get laid. Even Hidan's been laid and he's a monk."

Something inside Deidara died.

He stood up quickly and made to leave the room, but Hidan barked, "Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

"Out," Deidara replied curtly.

"You can't go out," Kisame told him.

"Why not? The Uchiha bastard just left," the artist pointed out irritably.

Hidan interrupted, "He's allowed out. You're not."

"What the hell?" Deidara exclaimed in frustration.

"He knows Konoha well and he knows how to stay hidden. You _don't_, and you'll probably screw up our relationship with Leaf. And, you might run away and I really don't feel like dragging your ass back again," Kisame explained.

With a huge smirk, Hidan brushed past both Kisame and Deidara. He announced in a nearly sing song voice just to spite the artist, "I'm going out! Don't wait for me, you two!"

The door slammed shut behind the immortal ninja. Deidara exploded, yanking the knife out of the table and throwing it at the wall with all of his might. It was embedded hilt deep into the wall and Kisame sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You've really got to learn to control yourself, Deidara," Kisame commented.

"Control myself? I can't do that, since all of you bastards are doing it for me!" he spat venomously, blonde hair whipping about his face as his icy blue eyes blazed.

"Stop moaning. I don't even want to baby sit you, it's all on Leader-sama's orders," Kisame snapped, growing irritated.

Deidara swore under his breath and went over to the knife in the wall, yanking it out sharply. The hole that was left gaped at him with unseeing eyes, as if to suggest that freedom was only a kunai blow away.

* * *

There was a timid knock at the door, and I put down the yellowing medical scroll I had been reading. The door opened with a noisy, unoiled creak and I was face to face with an opaque eyed woman.

"Hey, Hinata," I greeted her with a smile, gesturing for her to come inside.

The Hyuuga heiress hesitated, her eyes wide in surprise. She then stepped inside and followed me back to the kitchen where I had been moments prior. I rolled up the scroll and sat at the white tiled counter in the middle of the room. Hinata sat down beside me on a high black chair uncertainly.

"Hello, Sakura-san," she murmured quietly.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

She fell silent for a long time and stared at her fingers where they were clasped on her lap. Taking a deep breath in, she questioned, "H-have you seen Naruto-kun anywhere?"

My brow furrowed at her question and I said, "No, I haven't. Is he missing?"

She lowered her head slightly and her dark violet bangs covered her eyes, hiding her pale face from me. Her entire body became still and she went unnaturally silent as her hands tightened suddenly to the point that they were as white as chalk.

"Hinata?" I pressed her tentatively.

She suddenly began sobbing.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" I asked her on instinct, growing extremely concerned.

"I c-can't find Naruto-k-kun anywhere and he-he's suddenly disappeared," she choked out, rubbing at her eyes, "I've l-looked everywhere for the p-past week and nobody knows where he is-"

"You couldn't find him even with the byakugan?" I asked in shock.

She shook her head vigorously, saying, "N-no."

"Maybe he's in Suna, talking to Gaara," I suggested, sitting down beside her and rubbing her back consolingly.

She shook her head again and explained, "Everybody's been banned from l-leaving the village unless they've been asked to, a-and Naruto-kun always t-tells me when he's leaving…"

"Maybe Tsunade-hime asked Naruto to do something top secret for her and he couldn't tell anyone. And, anyways, it's only been a week, right? If Tsunade-hime isn't worried about it, then I'm sure he's just fine," I pointed out and very slowly, Hinata's sobs began to subside.

"You really think so?" she asked uncertainly.

I nodded firmly and said, "Definitely. Tsunade-hime likes to keep her eye on Naruto so she would never let anything really bad happen to him."

Hinata grew quiet and pensive. I felt really awful for her, she really did love Naruto so much. I added quickly, "I'll ask Tsunade-hime about Naruto when I get the chance. Try not to worry about it too much, he'll probably pop up when we least want him with that stupid grin of his."

The Hyuuga heiress laughed weakly, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her palms as she nodded. She took in a deep breath and stood up, bowing to me deeply. She murmured, "Thank you very much, Sakura-san."

"Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for, right?" I told her with a smile.

**Have you even thought about the rest of us? About Hinata? She smiles and pretends nothing's wrong and that she's perfectly fine with you running off to Sakura all the time. But we can all see she's hurting inside, all of us except for **_**you **_**because all you can see is Sakura's hurt and nobody else's- **_Ino shouted at Naruto and I slammed the window shut…_

A wave of guilt washed through me as the memory surfaced in my mind. I had been selfish, I had clung to Naruto and had forgotten how much everybody else needed him as well- most importantly, Hinata. I had come between the two of them and I was more than surprised that Hinata didn't hate me, I would have if I was in her position.

As she made to open the door, I called her name, "Hinata!"

She turned around in confusion and I swallowed before continuing, "I…I'm sorry."

"For what?" she questioned, bemused.

"Naruto. I was really selfish and I came between you and him without realizing how much hurt I was causing you," I said, unable to meet her eyes.

I bowed to her and murmured, "Please accept my apologies."

There was a long silence in which she said nothing, but she didn't move either. Then, in a soft whisper she told me, "Thank you, Sakura-san."

* * *

"You know, this is bad for inter-village politics," Kisame commented to his dark haired partner.

Itachi remained silent, as Kisame guessed he would.

Deidara was being watched by Kakuzu and Kisame had immediately followed Itachi once he was free of his shift of Deidara-sitting. Itachi had let Kisame follow him, but he hadn't said a single thing. Kisame had absolutely no idea where Itachi was going and was mildly interested in what the Uchiha was doing, sneaking around Konoha. Not that Itachi would ever admit to it, of course…

Itachi came to a halt and Kisame stared at what he had stopped in front of.

"This is _really _bad for inter-village politics," Kisame repeated, stronger this time.

They had come to the derelict Uchiha district, the last place any Konoha citizen would want to find Itachi. Itachi remained stock still and his crimson eyes closed. His chest heaved with a silent sigh and Kisame watched him.

"Leave," Itachi ordered, his voice retaining its dark, smooth texture in that single word.

Kisame disappeared, as if he had never been there. The only evidence of his presence were the few scattered patches of wet soil about the ground he had been standing on. Without missing a beat, Itachi entered the Uchiha district.

The place was devoid of life. Though Itachi knew that better than anyone else, it was certainly a strange feeling to come back to a place he hadn't set foot in since he had turned his back on it so long ago. His footsteps were the loudest sounds in the area, which was saying something as he moved as silently as a ghost.

**- throw a shuriken? **_and a pair of bright black eyes glimmered up at him hopefully -_

The rice paper screen shrieked as he opened it, the metal was rusty and the screen was unoiled. He was unperturbed by the sound however, as there was nobody but him around to hear it. This empty house was one he knew like the back of his hand, although he had never felt attached to it in the least, and he walked down a long, long hallway-

**- will pay **_and the sleek katana glided effortlessly into her body as if it were made completely of water and beside him someone was laughing, _laughing, _and the bright red lifeblood stained his hands_ -

His course fingers touched rotting wood, travelling across it almost mindlessly. However, everything he did had a purpose and this action was no different. His skin brushed against a course engraving that was made a lifetime ago by a proud boy with his first kunai.

_Sasuke_

He pushed the door open.

Then, he slowly took one step forwards. And then another, and then he stepped to the right. He repeated this once more, before slowly lowering himself to the floor. From within the depths of his cloak, he drew a senbon needle and began to slowly pick at the wood glue holding the floor together. It was not too difficult a task, as the long years had aged the glue and caused it to crack and crumble.

He pulled the single plank of wood out of the floor and, instead of reaching into the deep black hole that was revealed, he flipped the piece of wood upside down. His fingers travelled around the edges of the plank, searching for a single pinhole. He inserted the senbon into it and forced it in, his ears smarting at the loud screeching noise that followed. There was a small click as one of the ends suddenly jutted forwards, revealing a narrow hole. A single piece of paper poked out of it, yellowing and dusty, and Itachi pulled it out.

He ran his fingertips over it and moulded his chakra over the top of the paper. The black characters inked onto the scroll began to glow a vibrant green and he could feel the warmth seeping into his cold hands.

And he smirked.

The scroll was hidden away in the folds of his dark cloak and he stood up, replacing the wooden plank. He exited the house, ignoring the trickling river purposely and subconsciously trying to move as far away from it as was possible. Then he became all too aware of a chakra presence, a presence that was all too familiar.

It was a woman's chakra and he could feel it lapping at the edges of his skin, cool and as smooth as silk. She was still far away, but the problem was that she was at the entrance of the district. If Itachi simply performed a jutsu and teleported back to the Forest of Death where Akatsuki was being housed, she would certainly feel his chakra and grow extremely suspicious.

Sakura felt an unexplainable urge to go to the Uchiha district, as if she had been pulled there by some strange magnetic force. She didn't know why, but when she had stepped through the wooden doors, her hands had started trembling and a chill had run throughout her entire body. Her first impulse was to turn around and leave, but she forced herself to stay.

"Hello?" she called loudly.

She took an uncertain step forwards and Itachi felt her chakra grow ever nearer. Slowly, the onyx wheels in his eyes began to whir and Sakura glanced around. For a moment, she thought she saw a shadow in a window and froze.

"Is someone there?" she said, her voice not quite as strong as she had hoped.

She walked forwards again and there was a loud, sorrowful cawing that surrounded her as a flock of midnight black ravens shot towards her. They flew past her and she felt her heart stop for a couple of beats.

There was a man running with them.

His pale face was unmistakable. The strong cheekbones, the inquisitive slope of his black eyebrows, the sloping scars that led from the corners of his eyes, the straight line his mouth was permanently fixed in and…

_The Mangekyou Sharingan._

"Itachi?" she whispered his name in disbelief.

He was gone in the next moment.

The ravens had disappeared, as though they had never been there before, and so had the man with them. Her heart was pounding in her ears and all of a sudden she wanted to scream, cry and laugh all at the same time.

Had he really been there? Was he just a figment of her imagination?

The evidence lay in front of her, in the form of a single white bead.

* * *

"Where the fuck have you been, you bastard?" Deidara demanded angrily as Itachi swept past him in the hallway silently as a shadow.

The Sharingan master ignored him, continuing towards his room as though Deidara had never been there. The artist was not worth even a second of his time, since all he did was shout and insult him anyways. Deidara grew angry and grabbed Itachi roughly by the sleeve of his robe, yanking him towards him and forcing the Uchiha to look at him.

He growled, sapphire eyes icy, "I was talking to you, yeah."

Itachi moved. He ripped his arm away from Deidara, smashed him against the wall with his forearm and punched him mercilessly in the stomach. Hidan, who was standing at the entrance to the kitchen, hadn't even seen him move.

The Uchiha stated, without a single hint of emotion, "Do not touch me."

He went into his room and the door shut behind him with a sharp click. Deidara was doubled over and winded, trying to fight for his breath. He coughed and traces of blood spittle splattered the wooden floor. Hidan rolled his violet eyes and sat down on a chair, putting his feet up on the kitchen table.

"You know, you're never going to win against him. You should just give up already," Hidan commented.

Deidara yelled at him angrily, "**Shut up!**"

"Don't fucking shout at me, I'm just telling you the truth. If you fight him, you're going to fucking die and nobody's going to care," he said bluntly.

The door slammed behind the artist and Kisame, who had been standing in the kitchen shot Hidan a sidewards glance. He told him, "Deidara's going to be doubly pissy now. Thanks, Hidan."

"Somebody had to tell him. If he goes and gets himself killed, I don't want Leader-sama on my ass," Hidan spat.

Kisame shrugged and said, "It gives the kid something to live for. If he loses that drive, he won't try to get stronger and then we'll probably have to end up killing him. If he keeps trying to get stronger to kill Itachi-san, it's less work for us since Itachi-san is hardly here anyways."

"You don't seriously believe he's going to _win _against Itachi?" Hidan asked in disbelief.

Kisame glanced out of the window and fell silent.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Breakdown**

_"Leader-sama wants you to go to Haruno Sakura."_

"Is...is _he _on the team?"

**"I will find another medic."**

_"**She didn't even do anything to you, you** **bastard! You don't deserve her!"**_

"Take me home, Arashi. I don't want to be here anymore."

* * *

**Teatime with Selandora. (oh if only teatime started with an s. then it would be alliteration. :)**

**What a boring chapter. Hurry it up woman!  
**Hey, I'm sorry! Yes, this chapter is _very _boring but all the action comes in the next chapter. If you're smart and read through the chapter preview then you can figure out what happens. The sixth chapter is a little annoying too but what can I say, it's the war arc.

**Why did the worst thing ever happen in the newest chapters?  
**Hmm, well someone asked me about this in a review so I'll give you all my opinion on the matter. This is slightly spoilerish so don't read if you're not up to date. Masashi Kishimoto decided that the sexiest person ever was much too cool for his anime and that since he's madly in love with Sasuke he didn't like the competition and thus we have that awful chapter. At least Kishi's making up for it with the new stuff. AHAHA. I KNEW THAT THE SEXIEST PERSON AROUND WASN'T EVIL. suck on that! KILL SASUKE.

**What happened to the bag Deidara got before he was interrupted by Kisame in the previous chapter?  
**Well, Deidara managed to hide it in Sakura's duffel bag when he packed it for her in the chapter before. Sorry, I don't think I made that very obvious. :S

**Will Sakura beat the crap out of Itachi soon?  
**She deserves it damn it, so I'll end up giving it to her. Not yet though, she's still an emotional wreck and needs more help before that. But I promise you it'll come eventually. :)

**Hidan got laid?  
**Yessiree. I figured the idea of Jashinism is so twisted that it probably says something like go screw like a bunny in their rules (if they have any). That and I also wanted to emphasize how pathetic poor Deidara is.

**Does Sakura join the Akatsuki in this story?  
**I can promise you a million dollars that she does _not _join Akatsuki. There are too many fics like that already and anyways, I don't think she'd ever join them because they're out to get Naruto and all.

**If Deidara hates the Akatsuki so damned much, why doesn't he just quit?  
**The leader of Akatsuki needs him. I won't tell you why but Deidara is very important, insanely, insanely important for the final arc.

**Is it wrong to think it fucking hilarious when Itachi pisses the crap out of Sakura?  
**...well, I never really thought of it that way. If it makes you laugh then I suppose so but I don't think I'll be able to write anymore Sakura vs. Itachi stuff seriously now ahaha. I actually started laughing when I read your review. :)

PS. Thanks to SpeedDemon315, Yumi-danna, TeenageCrisis, mintxrain SagaOfTheSolitaryKiwi for the questions. Keep them coming!

**Selandora (the sickeningly emotional one you must fear)**


	5. Chapter 5 : Breakdown

**Chapter 5: Breakdown**

- **will kill him **_and his fingers flashed like lightning as he formed a jutsu, the perfect assassination technique, a one hit kill and he had to _stop him _before it was too late, before he killed the drugged boy on the riverbank -_

Itachi's eyes flashed open. Naturally, the movement made no difference as all he could see was endless black. The darkness had consumed his sight whole and it tore apart the walls holding his memories back like pieces of paper. Every day there was another memory and every night there was only one, but it was always the same.

The first thing he noticed was that he had only little more than enough chakra to keep him alive. As he pushed the thin covers away, the sunlight spilled across his legs. He felt the slight warmth and stared at his legs for a long time, as though he could still see. On the other side of the room, Kisame watched his partner wake.

"Leader-sama wants you to go to Haruno Sakura," Kisame told him quietly.

Itachi instantly tensed. Kisame let out a controlled breath, he had known Itachi wouldn't like the news. Ever since Tobi had been reported dead a few days ago and the treaty had been signed, Leader was growing more paranoid and more controlling over Akatsuki. Deidara wasn't the only one without freedom, the other members of Akatsuki were slowly losing theirs bit by bit.

The Sharingan master asked, "Did he give any reason as to why?"

"He knows about your eyes and he knows she healed them successfully last time. Haruno-san is waiting for you downstairs," Kisame answered.

Itachi nodded, though he had absolutely no intention of going. Kisame guessed as much and added, "Leader-sama said that Hidan and I were to take you by force if necessary."

Anger flashed through Itachi at Kisame's words. Leader thought that he could _force _him into doing something? Without his eyesight and any chakra, he was only at half his strength and if Kisame and Hidan fought him at the same time then he would definitely lose, as much as he hated to admit it. He couldn't use doujutsu or detect any chakra around him, which meant he couldn't use his chakra to see his surroundings.

He had learned how to adapt to his blindness by sending out small traces of chakra wherever he walked. This chakra would skim over anything surrounding him and he was able to create a mental picture of his surroundings in his mind. However, without his chakra he would only be able to use his senses to detect enemy ninja. His sense of smell and taste was out, as he wouldn't lick his enemies or smell them unless they hadn't used deodorant, if he used his sense of touch then the likelihood would be he was getting hit half the time and his sense of hearing was unreliable, as the surroundings could interfere.

There was no chance in hell he would see Sakura ever again willingly, and he remained firm in that belief. He remained where he was, stock still, and Kisame sighed loudly.

"Look, I don't want to do this either. It would make both of our lives much easier if you would just go down and let her heal your eyes," he pointed out.

"I will find another medic," he stated.

Kisame shook his head and told him, "You've been saying that for the past month and Leader-sama is getting annoyed. The only medic who knows enough about the Sharingan and is skilled enough to heal your eyes is Haruno Sakura. I don't think you can get out of this one."

* * *

Tsunade called me to her office unexpectedly early in the morning and I had left immediately, having learned from experience it was never a good thing to keep her waiting. She was already in a bad mood; there were four bottles of sake in the rubbish bin and she was signing papers at light speed.

"You called, shishou?" I asked her, rubbing the morning dust from the corners of my eyes.

Her tone was clipped and reluctant as she told me, "The Akatsuki Leader requested you. He wants you to heal one of his members."

"Me? Why me?" I spluttered in disbelief, all traces of tiredness fleeing in a single moment.

Clearly, my outburst had made Tsunade angry because she yelled at me, "I don't know! Just leave and go to the chuunin examination hall in the Forest of Death and see what they want."

I decided not to ask if I was the only one going or if I would have guards or any of the hundreds of other questions I was dying to ask. She would probably end up trashing her office if I pushed anymore. Tsunade had told a select few ninja that Akatsuki was in Konoha and I had been one of them. Naruto hadn't been there when she briefed us, which I found really weird since she and Naruto trusted each other like family.

I was currently sitting in the huge chuunin examination hall, twiddling my thumbs nervously. I could sense the overwhelming chakra around me and it was making me sweat, especially since all of the ninja near here were restraining their chakra. Even ANBU wasn't as intimidating as this, and to think that I had been requested to heal one of these people…

I heard loud footsteps behind me and locked eyes with somebody I had believed long dead.

I stuttered, "Y-You…you're dead-"

The man smiled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. His eyes danced with amusement and he said, "Yeah, well you guys didn't do a very good job."

He stepped aside to reveal a smaller, dark haired man.

And my world stopped.

I sat down quickly, feeling extremely light headed. I couldn't do anything but open my mouth like a fish, my tongue paralyzed the by the man in front of me. My head began to shake in disbelief because this…Itachi…he couldn't…

He couldn't be _alive_. I had seen him die in front of me and watched as they dragged his lifeless body away and he had bled, bled red lifeblood that had trailed behind him as they dragged his lifeless body away and seen them burn his lifeless body because he was dead, _dead_ and this couldn't be happening-

"Don't fuck with me, you're both dead," I spat at the both of them.

Itachi remained impassive, while Kisame's eyebrows rose at my language. Kisame said with a grin, "I don't _feel _very dead."

"Shut up, I don't believe this. This is _impossible_," I said, the last word taking on an unintentional pleading tone.

Suddenly, the man who claimed to be Itachi had released his chakra and it was the same, the same as Itachi's. Chakra signatures couldn't be faked, they were unique and for this man to have the same one…that meant that he was the same, the same as the same Uchiha Itachi who had died three months ago, but hadn't really died because the same Uchiha Itachi was standing here and…

"Oh my God," I breathed out.

Kisame scratched the back of his head, realizing how awkward things had suddenly become. He glanced first at Itachi and then at me, then back at Itachi. He turned around and stopped, murmuring something to his partner. Itachi nodded slightly and Kisame left, through a door that appeared only when he touched it in the far right corner of the hall. Once he had left through it, the wooden door disappeared into the grey stone wall again.

I continued staring at Itachi.

He had changed, his beauty was less refined and blurred at the edges. He was a sickening shade of white and there were dark circles around his eyes that told of countless sleepless nights. He was thinner as well.

Some things never changed though, he still held himself with the same proud, effortless grace and his _eyes_. His eyes were still crimson and as captivating as ever, with an immovable expression to match.

He was so close, I could take a few steps forwards and touch him. I wanted to, to see if he was really there and not just another figment of my imagination because this was something I wanted so badly, that I had hoped for the moment I saw his body hit the floor.

As I watched, a trickle of crimson trickled thickly down his face, leading from the scar beneath his right eye. Then instinctively, I said, "You're bleeding."

It was then I stepped forwards, reaching a hand out to him. My hand moved as if in slow motion, green chakra glowing at my fingertips, and touched the bleeding scar. He jerked away and took a step away from me.

My brow furrowed in confusion and I asked inquisitively, "Itachi?"

"You aren't needed here. Go home," he said, his voice sharp.

I argued, "But…Hokage-sama told me-"

"She was wrong. I don't need you," he repeated harshly.

_I don't need you. _

Those words erupted in a fresh bolt of pain within me. My breath caught in my throat and I swallowed to try to force open my throat so that I could speak. Nothing happened however and I couldn't say a single thing as he walked away. He was moving again, away from me and I was going to lose him for the second time.

I needed to say something, I needed to _stop him_. I was paralyzed to the floor and although my mind was screaming at me to run after him, to scream at him, I couldn't do a single thing. The door shut with a click as he left through it.

Then, the moment he had gone, I buried my head in my hands and started crying.

* * *

"You _**bastard!**__" _Deidara shouted at Itachi, punching him across the face.

Itachi stumbled to regain his balance, his hand reaching out to steady himself against the wall of the hallway. Kisame had jumped onto Deidara and was trying to restrain the livid artist. Deidara's sapphire eyes were wide with anger and hatred as he pulled and tried to lunge at Itachi.

"You _**asshole! **_She came to fucking heal you and you treat her like shit, what the hell is your problem?" Deidara continued.

Kisame had expected Itachi to simply leave and ignore Deidara like he normally did, however the Sharingan master stayed and said nothing. If only Itachi could still see, then Kisame could have tried to convey the message 'get the fuck out of here, please' to him much more easily.

"She didn't even do anything to you! You _**bastard!**_**"**

**- executed a few months ago **_and her eyes were heavy with unshed tears and he hated that she would cry over someone like Itachi-_

"**You don't deserve her!**" Deidara screamed at Itachi.

It was then that Itachi swept past the two of them wordlessly. The door shut behind him and it was only then that Kisame released Deidara. The artist instantly ran for Itachi's bedroom but Kisame had anticipated this and held him back once again.

"God damn it Deidara, just give up already. If Itachi doesn't want to see her then just leave him be," Kisame snapped at Deidara irritably.

Deidara pointed in the direction of the main door and argued angrily, "Sakura is out there, crying because of that son of a bitch. You can't just expect me to let that go!"

"I do expect you to let that go because she is none of our business! You're twenty fucking three Deidara, grow up," Kisame growled at him.

"Fuck off, Kisame," Deidara spat.

Deidara went off, in the direction of the main door. Kisame didn't wait to watch him go.

Inside Itachi's room, Itachi stood motionless in the very centre. The blood flowing down his face filled his nose with the sickening metallic smell, a smell that had intensified after he had heard Sakura cry behind him, and he could feel something inside of him building up in a taut compressed ball, ready to explode. He grit his teeth together and drove his nails into his palms, trying to find an outlet for all of this frustration he couldn't find a reason for.

He wanted to fight, he wanted to break something. He couldn't take this feeling, he hated having these emotions and that _girl _always seemed to bring them out in him, just like last time. The weakness was driving him insane.

He went to the training room and punched twenty inch thick training block once, twice, three times, four times until he was senselessly punching the block into non-existence over and over again. The sweat poured down his face and the block gave out a loud resounding crack as it shattered in two under the force of his fists.

His chest heaved up and down with his quick, laboured breathing. He raised his hands to his forehead, pressing his slightly cooler palms to his forehead in an attempt to calm himself down. He couldn't tell if it was sweat or blood pouring down his face anymore, and wiped his face with the sleeve of his black shirt.

**- Itachi? **_and she had said his name with all the innocence in the world, as if he wasn't an S-Class criminal and murderer, as if everything was just like three months ago - _

She would have been looking him with a look of complete betrayal shining in her emerald eyes as she said his name, her soft lips slightly open in surprise at his coldness. She would look like she did three months ago, if not slightly older, the pink of her hair framing her heart shaped face and she probably would have smiled at him with one of those bright Sakura smiles-

"You should have just let her heal you," Kisame commented.

Kisame was glad that he had waited until after Itachi had destroyed the training block to come in, an angry Itachi was one nobody should ever have the misfortune to witness. It was strange that the girl could bring out the worst in both Itachi and Deidara, even if it was unintentional.

Itachi shut his eyes and let out a long, controlled breath. The silence that filled the room crackled with anger and tension and Kisame knew he was teetering on the edge of a very thin line.

"Leave," the Sharingan master stated, his voice flat and curt. The mask was up again.

Kisame did so wordlessly.

* * *

The footsteps that I heard next weren't Itachi's, they were heavier and faster. I could feel a chakra signature, a familiar pulsating, tense chakra that I knew could only be Arashi's and looked up through blurry eyes.

"Arashi," I called his name loudly, my mind had collapsed completely.

I couldn't think and I didn't even realize it was impossible for Arashi to be here, I just knew he was there and I needed him. I didn't even see him properly, I just saw a figure in black through my wet vision. A pair of strong, muscled arms drew me close to a warm chest and my hands fisted in the thick fabric of his clothing as I trembled. A loud gasp escaped from my mouth and I buried my face in his chest, trying to stifle the sound of my crying.

His long fingers combed through my short hair as he tried to calm me down. I stuttered, "A-Arashi, I need to g-go home."

"Sakura, calm down," he murmured into my ear, his voice low and soothing but I could only hear Itachi's voice, rich and velvety instead.

**- go home **_and his expression hadn't changed at all but his face remained the same, and it tore me open _-

"I n-need to go h-home," I gasped out again, clenching Arashi's black cloak in my hands tightly, "he said t-to go-"

"Don't listen to him, he's a bastard, yeah," Arashi said, his voice angry.

I shook my head senselessly and my breaths were coming in short gasps as I denied vehemently, "No…no…"

"Take me home, Arashi," I managed, and he was silent.

"I don't want to be here anymore," I said in a rush as another wave of sobs wracked my body.

I was lifted into his arms gently and I threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his neck. His hold around me tightened, bringing me closer to him protectively and he began to run away from the hall.

"Where's your house?" he asked me.

I told him my address, though I didn't really process anything. The only thing that registered was that I was with Arashi and I was safe- but safe from what? Nothing could stem the flow of memories and I wanted to scream.

_Itachi_, staring out the window, _Itachi, _sitting on the windowsill, _Itachi, _falling to the floor dead, _Itachi, __**Itachi, **_**Itachi-**

I was laid down on my bed and I instinctively reached out a hand for the bottle of pills on my bedside table. I opened the pills with a trembling hand and I somehow managed to pour one into my hand. It fell into my palm and I swallowed it quickly without water. Arashi took the bottle from me and I saw him read the label with a frown.

I didn't see what he did with the pills, but I did instinctively wrap my arms around him again. He seemed awkward, as though he didn't know how to properly handle the situation and eventually drew me close. Slowly, my sobs died down into little hiccoughs and I closed my eyes, feeling extremely tired.

"God woman, I didn't think it was possible for someone to cry so much, yeah," he commented insensitively.

"Shut up, you ass," I grumbled.

I pulled away from him and took a good long look at him, taking in his appearance. What I saw shocked me to the core and I stuttered, "Y-you-you're an Akatsuki member."

"Yeah, well that's why I didn't tell you when I first met you. You'd probably punch me through more than just one wall," he explained sheepishly.

"You tried to kill Naruto!" my voice rose shrilly and he winced at the intensity of it.

"You killed my partner. We're even," he retorted.

I sighed and covered my eyes with my palms. When I removed them again, I told him, "The only thing keeping me from killing you right now is the stupid peace treaty."

"You wouldn't kill me, I'm too cute, yeah," he said with another one of his half-smirks.

I growled at him, "We'll see who's cute when I punch your face in, Arashi."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Stop calling me Arashi, yeah. My name is Deidara."

"No last name?" I asked in surprise.

"Nope. I was taken away from my parents when I was young so I don't know my last name," he answered bluntly without a single trace of regret or remorse.

Still, despite the fact he didn't seem at all bothered by the lack of family I couldn't stop myself from saying, "I'm sorry."

Then something Ino had said to me once about talking with men flashed through my head. _Don't make it awkward, don't make it awkward, don't make it awkward-_

And it was awkward. A strange silence fell over the both of us and his expression changed from blank, to surprised, to frustrated and then to a little confused. He looked as though he didn't know what to feel and I felt a little guilty.

"Uh, so…you're Akatsuki," I said and then winced as I realized that was another awkward and stupid topic.

He snorted and growled, "Woman, you say that like I _enjoy _being a part of it, yeah."

"Don't you? I mean…why else would you join?" I asked tentatively.

"Honestly, I was forced into it. A couple of the guys knocked me out, then the next thing I know I've got this ugly ring on my finger and an even uglier cloak, yeah. I don't even know why I'm telling you this," he said.

"Oh please don't say something cliché, like you're going to kill me now or something," I pleaded.

He smirked again and said cockily, "I could come up with something more original and more terrifying than that."

"Oh yeah?"

"…I'll tell you later," he told me, the beginning of a goofy grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"You are so cheap."

"And you're manly."

"That has nothing to do with what we're talking about right now, Arashi," I spluttered indignantly.

He corrected me, "It's Deidara, yeah. And, it has everything to do with right now, we wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't punched me through the stupid wall. What do you do, eat steroids or something?"

"Can't I just keep calling you Arashi? I'm so used to it now. What do you mean we wouldn't be in this situation, and its called chakra control, dumbass," I snapped.

"Hey what about this, you get _unused _to Arashi and _used _to Deidara! There, I've solved the problem for both of us. If you hadn't punched me through the wall, then you wouldn't have pounced on me and demanded your money back, and then you wouldn't have kept talking to me, and then you wouldn't have fallen madly in love with me and you wouldn't be stalking me like you are right now. Us S-Class criminals have reputations you know and you're cramping my style, yeah," he explained in a very long winded tale that was only twenty percent true and still made absolutely no sense.

"No, I've come up with an even better idea. I'll call you Ara! Then it's like Arashi and Deidara put together, sort of. Anyways, you just wish that your story was true and I am not a stalker," I told him with a grin.

He then said without really thinking, "Yeah, well you were the one calling my name just a few moments ago after you saw Itachi."

**- don't need you **_and he was so cold, like ice, and his eyes were crimson chips of frozen blood, he didn't even look at me and it _hurthurthurt-

The light mood a few moments ago was now dead. I took in a deep breath, trying to cope with the stabbing pains in my chest and said quietly, "Deidara…sorry, can you just leave me alone for a bit?"

He opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something and then shut it again. He stared at me for a moment and anger flashed in his sapphire eyes for a split second. Before I could apologize again, he had disappeared and I swallowed painfully.

_Maybe it would have been better if Itachi had really died._

Pain and sudden horror at my thought overwhelmed me. I felt like a traitor and suddenly began to cry again.

* * *

- **the only way **_and he smiled at him with the smile of a person resigned to death and he _hated _that look, that stupid smile and wanted to wipe it clean off his face because there had to be another way and Itachi would never, never, _never_-_

Itachi awoke with the smell of copper in his nose.

He brushed his arm over his eyes instinctively, knowing that the blood would be there again. And he was right, he could feel it seeping through the sleeve of his shirt, thick, oozing and warm. He changed his clothes and washed his face vigorously, scrubbing away at the last of the blood with a towel before going towards the kitchen.

He could sense Kisame's chakra, a heavily restrained, dark and evil chakra, and Deidara's. Their voices came from the kitchen and they were clearly in a disagreement.

"I don't even want to be with him anyways!" Deidara snapped loudly and Itachi quietly entered the room.

Silence fell and he took his seat at the table beside Kisame. Deidara moved immediately to the chair furthest away from him, not that Itachi really cared. He reached for the bowl in front of him, his slender fingers wrapping around it as gracefully as if it were a dance move, and picked up the chopsticks beside it. He began to eat the warm rice inside it, feeling the tension in the room rise. He knew that Kisame would say something soon or Deidara would explode, so he said nothing.

"Leader-sama has made new teams," Kisame told Itachi.

Itachi nodded in understanding, he had expected something of the sort.

"We're still in the same team but we're also with Deidara and Haruno Sakura," Kisame finished.

Itachi did nothing this time and continued eating as if he had not heard. However, he knew that this was probably all _his _doing and this was _his _way of getting back at him for not following orders. After more silence, Deidara finally cracked and slammed his hands down on the table. It shuddered and the artist left the room angrily, the door banging shut behind him.

Kisame seriously considered telling Itachi that the only reason they were in such an awful team was because he was too damn proud and wouldn't let Sakura heal his eyes. Leader would probably have left them alone if Itachi had just agreed.

Instead however, he said, "We have to go as a team to the main hall in ten minutes for our mission briefing."

Itachi hummed in acknowledgment and Kisame let out a deep breath silently and slowly. He presumed Itachi wouldn't show up at the briefing and was already trying to come with an excuse for the Sharingan master in his mind. He stood up and left the room, leaving Itachi to finish his breakfast on his own.

Once his partner had left the room, Itachi instantly disappeared to the Uchiha district. He was outside another house, a different one from last time. It was a house that had been intended for two but had only actually housed one, having fallen short of the second due to the massacre.

He walked towards the front door and his hands ran over the metal characters nailed to the door. _Uchiha Shisui_. His fingers wrapped around the last character and he pulled it. It slid out of the door easily and when Itachi shook the character, a small key fell into his hand. He put the character back and unlocked the door, entering the house.

**- and she'll sleep with me in my room of course **_he was grinning goofily but Itachi could tell he was incredibly proud and he couldn't understand that anyone could make another person so happy-_

The sound of the door closing behind him sounded unnaturally loud in his ears. He considered taking off his shoes at the door as a sign of respect, but thought better of the idea. If he was forced to leave, then he would have to leave the shoes behind and someone would know that a person had been breaking into the Uchiha District. It would make this task infinitely more difficult than it already was.

He slowly began to trickle his chakra into the house, using it to search for any secret holes or compartments in the floor, ceiling or walls. There was nothing. In the living room, he removed the cushions from the sofa and unzipped them, searching through the stuffing. He removed the carpeting and looked underneath and inside the carpet, he searched inside each individual floorboard, he checked inside the TV.

There was nothing.

He had already searched the master bedroom, the bathroom and the study room in the past week and had found nothing. That only left the kitchen and he went there, methodically searching through every last long expired box and container. He opened a cupboard and his fingers brushed over plastic wrapped instant ramen cups.

**- why do you have these when you can just come to Ichiraku's? **_she had been so annoyed at the sheepish looking ninja who had then looked to Itachi for help, but the boy simply turned away as if to say that he wasn't getting Shisui out of this one-_

He shut the cupboard.

His fingers brushed against the top of the plastic counter absentmindedly. Where could it be? It had to be in his house, he had told him it would be here. But where could it be if-

Itachi's fingers came across three small vertical lines in the countertop. He paused, and then brushed his fingers over them again to make sure he wasn't wrong. They were definitely there and instantly, he fed his chakra into it.

The marks began to emanate warmth and if he had been able to see, he would have noticed that they were glowing a bright shade of blue. A small piece of paper began to rise out of the biggest of the vertical lines and Itachi took it. He opened it and ran his fingers across it, trying to read it.

He couldn't.

The words hadn't been pressed into the paper with a pen or a pencil which meant he couldn't feel the shape of the words. They must have been painted on with a calligraphy brush, something that wouldn't leave an imprint on the paper and frustration seeped into Itachi's features for a brief moment.

What was he holding? He couldn't tell, he couldn't read it, but he knew it had to be important. He was on the brink of discovery, so close to the end of this story but it was just out of reach. He couldn't have somebody read the letter to him because this was something meant for him and him alone, and he would never tie another person to this tragedy.

But what could he _do_?

There was only one solution he could think of, but he tried to avoid it, tried to find another way. From the moment he pushed it to the side, he knew that it was the only way he would be able to read it himself.

He would have to get Sakura to heal his eyes.

* * *

There was a loud persistent knocking on my bedroom window behind me. I sighed loudly and put the book I had been reading moments before back in the shelf, the knocking continuing all the while. It was probably Naruto, he was the only one that determined and annoying.

I was surprised when I found it was Deidara and remembered that nobody knew where Naruto was. Worry slowly crept into my mind and I opened the window, hardly scared at the fact that I had just let an S-Class criminal into my room without a second thought.

"Woman, you're a part of our team now," he told me with a sullen expression on his face. I was distracted by the mouths on his hands, watching in fascination as they began to chew at the skin of Deidara's hand anxiously.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," I said with an uncertain smile. Deidara jumped into my room from the window to avoid stepping on my bed and it was one of the more surprisingly polite things he had ever done for me.

"It is, yeah," he stated flatly, his blue eyes meeting mine.

Suddenly it clicked in my mind what he meant. I began tentatively, afraid of the answer I would get, "Is…is _he_ on the team?"

The mouths on Deidara's hands clenched their teeth as he tightened his fists. Finally, he nodded stiffly and I sat down on my bed, feeling the springs sink dejectedly beneath my weight. Maybe I could request a team change? If Tsunade had made these teams then once I explained everything she would probably accept it.

"Leader-sama requested for you to be on our team especially," Deidara told me.

He and I both knew it was impossible to get out of this team. If I pulled out, then Amegakure would get offended and it would weaken the already strained peace treaty between Konoha and Amegakure. Whatever Leader-sama wanted, the council would force Tsunade into giving him.

"Why does your leader always want me to be with Itachi?" I asked in frustration.

Deidara shook his head and said with a hint of an apology, "I don't know, I'm not told anything other than what they think I need to know."

I nodded slowly, falling silent. He seemed to panic slightly and added quickly, "But I'm sure Kisame will know, yeah. If you ask him, he might tell you."

"Kisame? Hoshigaki Kisame?" I pressed, but then remembered that he was alive as well and not dead. Akatsuki was really fucking with my mind.

"Yeah, he's on the team as well," Deidara explained.

I pulled a miserable face and moaned, "Am I the only girl on the team?"

"Woman, it's not like any of us are going to rape you," he snapped.

I breathed a loud sigh of relief, but as I did the telltale half smirk pulled at Deidara's mouth. He then said contemplatively, "Then again, Kisame might…"

"That is _not _funny," I growled at him, smacking him on the arm.

He rolled his eyes and informed me, "We've got to be in the chuunin examination hall in five minutes, yeah. We're needed for a mission briefing."

I swallowed and hesitated, staring at him. I would have to see Itachi again and Deidara knew it too, from the angry frown on his face. Sighing, I jerked my head towards the window and said, "Let's get this over with then."

After finishing the teleportation jutsu, we appeared in the hall. There were two other people in the hall and my heart stopped as I looked at them. The significantly taller man was one I could tell was Kisame instantly, he was turned towards me, however the shorter black haired man had his back turned. They were both silent, as well as standing an uncomfortable few feet away from each other.

Deidara walked loudly on purpose to alert the two men of our presence and I followed behind him, feeling extremely nervous. I wasn't sure I'd be able to cope with seeing Itachi again, but the longing pricked incessantly at me like a needle; constantly underneath my skin.

The man turned and my breath caught in my throat self consciously.

"Haruno-san, Deidara-san, I am pleased to see the both of you," he said, bowing deeply to the both of us.

I figured from the moment I heard him address me as Haruno-san that it couldn't be Itachi. The day he earned any respect for me would be a cold day in hell. I nodded in acknowledgment and Deidara simply ignored the man.

"Will Uchiha-san be coming anytime soon?" the mission briefer asked, his face a sickly pale at the mention of Itachi's name.

He had addressed me, however Kisame answered, "He's got something to do today. I'll pass the message on."

The man blinked in surprise, in Konoha it was nearly a crime not to show up for a mission briefing. He recovered quickly and accepted Kisame's words without a second thought, anybody in their right mind would give an Akatsuki member leeway for not showing up at a mission briefing. Beside me, Deidara visibly relaxed and a small grin pulled at the corners of Kisame's mouth in amusement at Deidara's antics.

I had been expecting relief but what I felt was disappointment above all else.

"One of the spies infiltrating Sound sent out a call for help. He is currently in critical condition and we were in contact with him until fifteen minutes ago. He has important information concerning the war and your mission is to retrieve him," the man seemed only to be talking to me, intimidated by the other two tall men in the room.

"Who is the spy?" I asked and the man handed me a thin file.

I opened it and felt something lurch in my chest as I instantly recognized who it was we were rescuing. The man explained what was written in the file, "The spy is Inuzuka Kiba. The last we heard of him, he was roughly three miles north of Konoha. We would like you to leave immediately. The rest of the information is in that file. I will take my leave now."

He left hurriedly and who could blame the guy? I glanced at Deidara, still feeling uneasy about Kisame, and asked, "How are we going to tell Itachi?"

"He'll be waiting for us at the gates," Kisame barked in his harsh, abrasive voice.

And he was right.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview: Retrieval**

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, if you crash this thing or if I fall off and die or if it explodes I swear I will come back from the dead and make your life a living hell or-"

"_Our mission is to return Inuzuka-san back to Konoha. He does not have to be alive."_

Her hand immediately darted for her kunai pouch but she realized with a sense of both shock and horror that she would never be able to deflect the kunai in time. She did the only thing a medic-nin could do in this situation; she protected her patient.

"**I'm not letting Kiba die!"**

* * *

**At the Seaside with Selandora (I actually just wanted alliteration in there so the title is just extremely stupid.)**

**What the hell's Itachi doing? He's sneaking around like a robber for God's sake. And, in the Uchiha district?!  
**Itachi does not _sneak_. He is too amazing to sneak around, he goes wherever he sees fit. Ah my gosh, I'm sorry, I just read the new Naruto chapter and have fallen in love with him all over again. If you haven't figured it out, Itachi is collecting all these little pieces of paper with a great purpose in mind (no shit, right?) but I can't tell you why. That would be telling.

**Whoa. Kiba's a spy?  
**Yes he is! For the purpose of this story anyways. The one thing I realized that didn't work out quite so well was the fact that Kiba has Akamaru. Kiba would probably make an awful spy because what the hell would he do with this big ass dog that follows him around everywhere? It would be too obvious! Sorry, this is me ranting again.

…**Isn't Itachi's reaction to Sakura a bit out of character?  
**Shut up! No he isn't! Okay, maybe he is if you're reading this without reading Defining Evil because he had the breakdown of all time in the first story (I'm probably going to end up rewriting that again). I'm actually quite happy with how this has turned out, I firmly believe that Itachi isn't the heartless cold bastard everyone thinks he is. Sure, he acts like one but there's got to be more to that sexy man underneath the mask.

**Hey, wait a second. How did Deidara get away from his babysitters?  
**Technically, Kisame was in charge of him when Itachi met up with Sakura. Kisame was super pissed after Deidara and Itachi had their lover's spat and he figured that Deidara probably wouldn't run away from Konoha- especially since Sakura was there. Anyways, if Deidara did run away, Kisame and Hidan would be on his ass and hunt him down.

**Itachi's bleeding all over the place. What the hell?  
**I'm a diehard Rurouni Kenshin fan. The main character had a cut on his face and it would constantly bleed. I can't remember too well why it bled (something about a grudge?) but I stole the bleeding cut idea. My version is that the cuts on Itachi's face bleed because there wasn't any proper closure for what happened and too much regret. Ahh, I'm going to give everything away if I keep talking.

**Where are Kakuzu and Konan?  
**Ahh, well, I don't want to bring too many Akatsuki members into the mix. If there are too many characters, things tend to go out of control and I end up straying really far away from the original storyline. I'm already pushing it a bit by introducing Hidan as one of Deidara's closer babysitters.

**Why does Deidara seem so weak?  
**I didn't realize I made it seem like he was a pushover, I'm sorry! Deidara and Itachi have two different fighting styles (or so I believe). Although they're both long range, Deidara fights using mainly explosives. He isn't nearly as strong as Sakura at close range but he's quite unpredictable which gives him the advantage in a lot of situations. He's amazing at dodging as well and can improvise right off the bat. I think he'd be a wind guy. Itachi is faster than him when it comes to fighting, however Deidara can be faster for longer since his birds don't actually run on actual energy.

Itachi's long range isn't as good as Deidara's, but he's a long range _and_ close range fighter. He has more experience than Deidara as well (since he is older by two years) and he has all those freaky weapons he picked up God knows where. I think Itachi specializes in fire jutsu. The problem is, even though Itachi's techniques are so powerful, his doujutsu really take a lot out of him. His close range is really good, almost on Lee's standard, but the problem is he's kind of blind.

Deidara is not weak, and there are more reasons as to why that become a bit more obvious later on. He and Itachi are just so different.

**What do you think about Madara as Obito?  
**…well, my views are actually in this story. I agree with the Obito theory, but it's a little bit more complicated than that. Shisui ties into my version of the Obito theory as well, just a few hints for what's to come.

_Thanks to Hiei's Cute Girl, Hikari Adams, kateshay, black55widow and dull spork. Keep the questions coming!_

Ohh, yes. I forgot to mention, I'm now doing a collab with Crimson Violets and it'll be posted on her account so watch out for it! We've come up with loads of ideas, now we just need to write it all out properly. :)

**Selandora (is going back to play The World Ends With You. Or maybe to finish her biology homework.)**


	6. Chapter 6 : Retrieval

Chapter 6: Retrieval

**Chapter 6: Retrieval**

He resisted the urge to pull out the piece of paper in his pocket and run his fingers over it again, to see if maybe this time he would be able to read the kanji. The last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to it.

He hated this feeling, this sense of _helplessness_. It felt like he had been injected with a disease called weakness and it was only spreading and growing stronger with each passing day. The only way to become strong again was to rely on somebody else, something he detested above all else but what else could he _do_?

"Itachi-san," a gruff familiar voice greeted him.

There, it was her chakra. The cool, silky smooth signature was one not easily forgotten, however he could sense she was keeping her distance from him. Beside her he could feel Deidara's contrasting chakra, a rough, tense chakra that bristled. It seemed as though the coarseness of Deidara's chakra ruined Sakura's somehow.

Itachi turned away to begin walking down the road leading out of Konoha. Kisame walked at a slightly faster pace to catch up with Itachi. Surprisingly, Sakura sped up so that she was in the very front and Deidara followed her lead with a bemused expression.

"You don't have to walk so fast," Kisame called after the pink haired medic.

She glared back at him and snapped, "I'm not sure if you heard the man correctly but Kiba will die if we don't get to him soon. If you guys fail your first mission, Konoha won't be too happy with us."

Kisame seemed pleasantly surprised that Sakura had spoken back to him, she figured that many people hadn't done so in fear of losing their life. Although it was probably a stupid thing to do, she had decided she wasn't going to back down to any Akatsuki members. Itachi was still debatable and she hadn't entirely accepted the fact that he was alive and colder than ever.

"I'd rather not have Leader-sama on our asses, yeah," Deidara commented, his arms folded over his chest as he addressed Kisame.

Kisame could have laughed, the two younger ninja had addressed _him _and had completely ignored Itachi. Instead, he grinned and looked to Itachi who inclined his head slightly in agreement. Itachi disappeared suddenly and Kisame turned his head to follow his partner's light speed journey through the trees. Kisame sighed and followed him, while Sakura watched Itachi move in awe.

"You getting on?" Deidara asked Sakura and she turned to face him.

He was seated on the back of a humongous white bird made entirely out of clay, looking down at her from some few feet above. She hesitated and asked, "Uh…so this thing isn't going to _explode _or anything, right?"

He looked at her flatly and said sarcastically, "Yeah, I'm all for suicide."

"Hey, you never know, you have a hundred different villages on your ass and I'm _so_ sure you have never been laid," she snapped back at him.

"God damn it, shut up and get on woman," he growled at her angrily and she rolled her eyes.

She cautiously climbed onto the bird, trying to leave some space between Deidara and herself. Before she was even properly on, the bird jolted suddenly and threw her off balance. She crashed into Deidara's back and gripped onto the back of his cloak instinctively, tensing up as the ground below them grew farther and farther away.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit," she swore in a rush, "If you crash this thing or if I fall off and die or if it explodes I swear I will come back from the dead and make your life a living hell or-"

"I told you to shut up, yeah. Are you scared of heights or something?" Deidara's back rumbled with his words and Sakura tried to put some space between them again.

"No, it's just I've never _flown _before, asshole," she spat at him.

"Do you want me to throw you off?"

"**No!**"

"Then stop fucking cursing at me, it's getting on my nerves, yeah."

As the bird's wings flapped up and down, the slight motion caused Sakura to slide forwards and into Deidara's back again. She eventually gave up on trying to move away from him and began in a sickeningly sweet tone, "Oh Ara-kun, you're so amazing and I do so love you, let me massage your back and hand feed you grapes."

"Sure."

"You asshole, I ought to-" she began vehemently and then the bird shot forwards violently, "**Just kidding!"**

Deidara laughed at her loudly, the wind ripping the sound out of his mouth to throw it into the air somewhere far behind them. The sound of his laugh lingered in Sakura's ears, leaving a warm, tingling sensation. Her arms were currently locked tightly around Deidara's waist so that he wouldn't be able to throw her overboard even if he had wanted to.

As the sounds of Sakura's shrieks and Deidara's distinctive energetic laugh reached the two ninja running below, Kisame glanced upwards with a wry smile on his face. At least Sakura was keeping Deidara preoccupied for now, hopefully she would keep him from fighting Itachi again. Speaking of the Sharingan Master, he looked back at the dark man gliding over the tree branches ahead of him, wondering if he was at all affected by Sakura's presence.

There was an unfamiliar buzz in Deidara's ear and at first he scratched at it before realizing it was the tiny radio earpiece Konoha had insisted all ninjas wear. The voice that spoke into it was a rich if not empty one, _"Deidara, go on ahead and find the target so that Haruno-san can attend to him."_

Deidara resisted the urge to tear the earpiece out and throw it into the vast forest beneath him. Sakura had gone uncannily silent and the mouth of his left hand began to chew at the sleeve of his Akatsuki cloak voraciously. He pulled the fabric away from his hand and squeezed the sides of the bird mercilessly, trying to refrain from gasping for breath as Sakura's arms tightened around his stomach like a vice.

They both flew in silence for a while and then Sakura sensed a familiar, faint chakra signature. It curled and coiled around and around, spiking out at random like a wild animal and she pulled at the back of Deidara's shirt. He nodded, having picked up on the signature as well and the bird slowly descended.

Sakura had already jumped from the bird before they had reached the forest canopy. Her arms and legs were scratched by the branches that smacked at her as she fell but she ignored the pain, landing on her two feet. Kiba was nowhere to be seen but she could very clearly detect his chakra.

"Kiba?" she called his name and felt a presence behind her. Deidara had come back down to earth as well and was standing beside her with a bewildered expression on her face. The clay bird hovered high above the forest canopy, waiting for the both of them.

Something huge and white jumped from a tree branch and landed in front of Sakura. Deidara very nearly stabbed it, but she stopped him when she recognized the humongous dog as Akamaru.

"Akamaru, where's Kiba?" Sakura asked in a softer, worried tone.

The dog swung his head from side to side before trotting over to the base of one of the tree trunks. He nosed at it and barked twice, biting at something hidden in the leaves. Something glinted in his mouth and Sakura realized it was his dog tag, however the moment the dog tag was removed the image of a bloody, worn out ninja flickered to life in front of her.

She rushed over to the man immediately and Deidara followed behind her unhurriedly. It wasn't as if he honestly cared, these were Konoha ninja and none of his concern. Still, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy as he took in the large gaping wound in his abdomen. Was that his stomach he could see? Deidara pulled a disgusted face.

Sakura slowly pushed Kiba's stomach back into his body and the dog handler bit down on his lip hard enough to cause bleeding. His hands had clenched around the autumn coloured leaves on the floor around him and a satisfying crunch filled the air as the leaves crackled into pieces. He was still an unhealthy shade of white and his arm was broken in four places; Sakura didn't even want to know how he did that.

"Kiba, I'm going to have to reconstruct your left arm completely but I can't do it here; it'll take too long and it's dangerous if I heal it badly. We'll take you back to Konoha though and I'll numb your arm until then, is that okay?" she asked.

Kiba finally opened one eye and focused first on Sakura, then on Deidara's Akatsuki cloak. He rasped out, "The fuck is he doing here?"

"Akatsuki joined Konoha against Sound, it's a long story. Tsunade-shishou will explain everything to you once we get back," Sakura reassured him.

For a long moment, Kiba said nothing and sized up Deidara. Finally, he decided that if Sakura trusted the guy then he could trust him too and closed his eyes. He fell unconscious once again as a blinding pain shot through him and Sakura swore loudly, beginning to check for what was wrong.

Her chakra flowed through him at a forcibly calm rate and she realized that he had been infected with poison. He had probably breathed it in, the lining of his nasal cavity and throat were being destroyed with every passing second and it was spreading through the upper half of his body; it would be at least a minute before his entire body was damaged.

"Eh, little girl, you might want to hurry things up because I think we've got visitors," a gruff voice advised Sakura.

Kisame and Itachi had arrived. As if on cue, an ear splitting shriek filled the forest and Sakura instinctively covered her ears. Bells rang out from all around them and the air was shining with tiny silver needles. Without even faltering, Itachi blocked them with a single kunai whereas Kisame lifted his sword to deflect them.

"Return to Konoha with Inuzuka-san," Itachi addressed Deidara and Sakura directly.

Without even thinking, Sakura protested, "We can't move him! The poison will spread quicker and he'll be dead before we get back."

"Our mission is to bring Inuzuka-san back to Konoha. He does not have to be alive," Itachi stated.

"**I'm not letting Kiba die!**" Sakura yelled at him.

Ninjas spilled out of the trees around them and advanced on the team. A predatory grin stretched across Kisame's face as he swung his sword in a large arc, the sound of munching muffled underneath the bandages. The expressions on the face of the ninjas near his sword were nearly comical, they were so shocked that their chakra had just been sucked out of them, but Kisame had already killed them before they could protest. Akamaru was fighting too, preoccupied with his own ninja.

Deidara spread his arms out, the sleeves of his Akatsuki cloak billowing like flags in the wind. Small white birds flew out of the gaping sleeves and a series of explosions went off in the clearing as ninjas fell dead to the floor. He was far away from Sakura and she was currently extracting the poison as fast as she could under the stress.

A kunai slipped through Kisame's defences and it hurtled towards Kiba and Sakura who were still on the floor. There was no way Sakura could possibly move Kiba and she was halfway through an extremely delicate situation, if the poison extraction bubble burst before the poison was destroyed then it would damage both Kiba and herself.

She pulled the bubble out as fast as she could and destroyed the poison inside. Her hand immediately darted for her kunai pouch but she realized with a sense of both shock and horror that she would never be able to deflect the kunai in time. She did the only thing a medic-nin could do in this situation; she protected her patient.

A loud, short cry ripped from her lips as the kunai pierced her back. She felt it go all the way in, as fluid as water, stabbing into her kidney. Blood sprayed out and she felt her mind blank out from the intense pain. Her hands trembled as she continued the poison extraction jutsu on Kiba, she was almost there, almost-

"Sakura!" Deidara shouted her name, running towards her immediately without thinking twice.

Itachi hesitated for a split second at the call, though it was nearly impossible to tell, and buried his kunai into the neck of a ninja with more force than was necessary. He instantly spun around and saw Deidara running towards Sakura. The artist had completely disregarded his own defence for hers and as an onslaught of kunai headed towards the blonde, Itachi threw twelve of his to deflect them. It was a feat unnoticed by Deidara who had finally reached Sakura.

"_Take Sakura and Inuzuka-san back to Konoha," _Itachi's voice buzzed in Deidara's headset and he lifted his head immediately to meet the Sharingan Master's crimson gaze.

A terrifying wind ripped through the battleground as Deidara's huge clay bird swooped down. He grabbed Sakura around the waist and she screamed as the kunai shifted deeper into her body but this was a matter of life and death- he had to get her out of the forest. He threw Kiba's unconscious form over his shoulder and leaped onto the bird.

Deidara immediately tried to take out the kunai in Sakura's back but she gasped, "No, don't. It'll stem the blood flow for now."

"Heal yourself woman, you're going to die from blood loss, yeah," he snapped at her, his voice angry.

She shook her head and began to extract more of the poison from inside of Kiba, he was now lying on her lap. Deidara threw a look of frustration back at her and he could feel her blood seeping into the bird's feathers, a sickening, hot metallic smell.

"_God damn it_, forget about the dog boy!" he yelled.

_Two more times_, Sakura thought, her vision blurring in and out of focus, _two more times and then he'll be safe, he'll be safe…_

The first bubble shuddered and Sakura gasped at the effort it took to mould her chakra. The poison was slowly destroyed and Sakura drove the bubble back into Kiba again, drawing out the last of the poison. She couldn't bring herself to control her chakra anymore and the bubble burst in her hands. Her hands started to burn with the poison but she couldn't feel anything anymore, nothing…

"He's safe," she whispered, "He's safe…he's safe…"

A blinding euphoria and bliss spread through her, she had completed her task as a medic nin and she was so, so proud. She smiled, a bright, beautiful Sakura smile and although she was aware of the fact she was slipping, she couldn't bring herself to do anything. Nothing mattered anymore, warmth was spreading through her veins like a drug giving her a high.

She was flying, flying through the air like one of Deidara's birds and it tasted like freedom. Her eyes met the sapphire ones of the artist's high above her and she was confused, he looked so _scared-_

"**Sakura!**"

* * *

Deidara was the only one sitting in the white waiting room, his eyes not really taking in the ugly threadbare carpet thrown onto the floor in an attempt to liven up the place. He could have done a better job with designing the hospital and mused that it was no surprise that no one wanted to go and get a check up if the place was as depressing as this.

"_You have to come back to the chuunin examination building, Deidara. The Hokage's throwing a bitch fit," _Kisame's gruff voice sounded in Deidara's ear.

Deidara growled, "I'm not going back, asshole. You'll have to bring me back yourselves."

The blonde artist was prepared this time when Kisame materialized out of thin air in front of him. He dodged the sharp grab and darted to the other side of the room, his sapphire eyes narrowing into thin slits of ice.

"Get back to the examination hall, Deidara," Kisame hissed underneath his breath. They had drawn enough attention already and the nurses outside were tense, probably calling the Hokage. He swore inwardly, it was all politics, politics, politics, it would make his life a hell of a lot easier if the Hokage just let Akatsuki walk around.

"_What is the meaning of this?" _a sharp, unmistakably feminine voice shouted at the two Akatsuki members.

Kisame took in a deep breath before releasing it silently. Deidara met the eyes of the woman on the other side of the room and Kisame turned to meet her incriminating gaze. Her hazel eyes blazed angrily and she could have made mountains bow to her with a single look.

"Sakura's still in there. I'm not leaving until she's stable," Deidara explained firmly, his icy eyes enough to combat the Hokage's.

_Oh whoop-dee-fucking-doo. He might as well be proclaiming his love for the girl, _Kisame thought sarcastically and the woman's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose high into her hairline at Deidara's blatant demand.

"Tsunade-hime, Haruno-san's condition has stabilized," a nurse announced.

* * *

There was pain, so much of it _but there always is, isn't there _and it was the kind of pain that came from deep inside, that manifested inside of you until it felt like it was scratching at the inside of your throat to try and get out. And so you screamed, and screamed, and screamed until it was gone but it was never went away-

I choked halfway between a scream and a gasp. There was a name I wanted to shout and that name belonged to someone, but there were two and none. I couldn't remember either one, I couldn't remember, but I could remember the way they felt. The pain was still there, tearing me apart from the inside and I could have sworn I was bleeding. There was so much darkness and I wanted to scream, wanted to cry, but I couldn't.

I felt the explosion. The heat pressed in on me, stifling and I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move at all. Images flashed, yellow, blue and hundreds of silent white birds and there was so much safety, so much security. There was anger as well and desperation _never stopped trying _and the pain started building up again.

Fire, fire that burned like ice, black fire, rubies and blood _too much pain_. There was somebody smiling, somebody falling and **I thought you were invincible **then so many tears. I was screaming, screaming but the agony never ended, there was a man with _blue__**red **__eyes, _there was a man with_**black**__blonde _hair and I was crying _crying-_

My eyes opened. The ceiling was white and I almost cried in relief. I wasn't dreaming anymore, I was awake. A reminder of the pain swirled around in the back of my throat like a mouthful of sake but I forced it down, staring at my heavily bandages hands.

"You're lucky there was only a little bit of poison in your last extraction bubble. Any more and you probably wouldn't have any hands," a familiar, sharp voice carried across the room.

I looked up slowly, my reflexes duller than before and blinked. Tsunade-shishou stood on the other side of the room and she approached me, sitting down on the ugly threadbare chair at my bedside. She made no move to embrace me and neither did she smile, though that was hardly a surprise. She was a hard woman, through and through, and I didn't expect her to change simply because I had…

What _had _happened? I could remember flying but that was impossible, how could I have flown?

"Deidara, is it?" she asked suddenly.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"The blonde Akatsuki boy. His name is Deidara, correct?" Tsunade rephrased her question and I nodded very slowly.

"What do you think of him? Is he trustworthy?" she pressed.

I hesitated. He had lied to me about himself, he had killed Gaara but he couldn't stand the Akatsuki at all. He had made me happy, made me smile and then I remembered the flash of fear in his eyes as I had fallen…

"He's…he's a good person," I told her honestly.

After a moment of silence, she nodded and stood up. Her fingers tapped against the dusty top of the heart rate monitor absentmindedly and she looked at me. She said, "You can leave the hospital today, you've been here for two days. We used chakra to heal your ruptured kidney but your hands won't heal up for another week. The girls at the counter will give you some cream for your hands."

I nodded weakly. Tsunade watched me for a few long moments and something like a warning flashed in her eyes. Then she shook her head slightly, as if in pity, and left the room.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Incense**

"Well done Casanova. _Yeaaaah._"

"_The left side of your face is paralyzed."_

"**If you tell anybody about this, I will kill you."**

* * *

**You get to talk to Sexy Selandora.**

**Does Kiba die?  
**I can guarantee you one hundred thousand million percent that he will never ever die in this fic. He's one of my favourite Naruto characters, he's too hot. 

**I like Sakura better with Dei.  
**Yeah, it's more fun for me to write as well. Once I start writing the Itachi/Sakura stuff then maybe I'll get more into it.

**Itachi's so stubborn! Is he trying to protect Sakura from the truth behind the Uchiha clan or is he trying to protect everyone?  
**Itachi is like a piece of frozen ice cream cake- you can't bite into it at all because it's so solid no matter how hard you try and you have to wait forever for it to melt on its own, if it ever does. (I can't believe I just compared Itachi to ice cream.) I think that didn't make much sense, but I'll just pretend it does. Itachi is trying to protect _everyone. _I don't think that's a spoiler, right?

**What happened to Kisame? He changed completely…  
**Well, I actually took time to rethink Kisame's character, since in Defining Evil I made him this rough, rude person. If you watch the episodes again, Kisame's actually kind of polite and it's only when he's in a fight he becomes that rough, rude personality.

**When's Sakura going to get herself together?  
**Soon! Very soon. Deidara's really helping her out and she and Itachi will soon have their promised face off. I just need to write it first and find out what they're going to argue about.

**Deidara and Sakura's interactions are much better than Itachi and Sakura's.  
**Yeah, I think it's because I have more fun writing Deidara and Sakura's scenes. The basis for Deidara and Sakura's relationship and personalities are actually of my own relationship with this charming jerk I used to like. He left the country though so…yeah. Hopefully he never reads this and figures it out. I don't think I've met anyone like Itachi before so I don't have that sort of base to go off of.

**Why's Sakura getting close to the Akatsuki again? Are you sure you didn't change your mind or something?  
**No, Sakura will not run away with Akatsuki and have all their little babies (no offence to Lady Hanaka. She's an amazing writer and I love her stories to bits.) She will not have a wonderful relationship with every single member of Akatsuki, though she will interact with most of them.

**What's Tsunade doing?  
**She's considering employing Deidara as a spy. It's no big secret or anything, I tried to make it more obvious in the last scene. I won't tell you what his decision is, though I think that's a bit obvious as well.

**Whoa. What was with Sakura's weird dream?  
**It's like foreshadowing (or meant to be). I also love writing in that sort of abstract way, if you hadn't guessed from my flashbacks. I'm trying to stress the point that Sakura has to eventually make a choice and it'll be painful and difficult, but she will have to make one. 

* * *

**Selandora (the sickeningly emotional undeniably sexy one you all must fear.)**


	7. Chapter 7 : Incense

**Chapter 7: Incense**

- **your job, since I can't do it anymore **_and he raised his hand to punch Itachi in the shoulder but fell short, his black orbs glazed over and a pair of bloody red eyes watched that hand fall to the wet dirt like Lucifer from heaven - _

He woke up suddenly.

A cold sweat had broken across his brow and his back ached, he had fallen asleep seated in front of a wooden writing table. He realized with a sense of self loathing and disappointment that he had, indeed, fallen asleep when he had resolved not to. Such dreams brought weakness and he could not afford to be weak.

His mind drifted aimlessly for a few minutes as he let his chakra guide disappear and the darkness consume him again. A memory unbidden surfaced in his thoughts.

- **such a jerk! **_and a compact paper ball hit her perfectly in the back of the head. She stood up, green eyes blazing as she crumpled a page of her tedious mission report and threw it with all of her might at the Sharingan Master who dodged it easily and he nearly smiled-_

No.

His chair shrieked across the wood as he stood up abruptly. He quickly changed but left his Akatsuki cloak draped on the back of the chair, striding out of the room with a sense of purpose. Kisame was the only one in the kitchen (thankfully) and Itachi spooned himself a bowl of the bland congee. Sitting down at the table, he could feel Kisame's heavy stare upon the back of his neck and he turned his head to face the shark man. He waited in silence for Kisame to speak.

"She was released this morning. Deidara went to see her," Kisame informed him.

There was a pause before Itachi inquired tonelessly, "Did no one go with him?"

"The Hokage said no more than one member with one Konoha ninja. Leader-sama said it was okay to leave Deidara on his own," Kisame answered, his brow furrowing.

Itachi repressed his surprise. Leader had normally kept such a tight leash on Deidara, going as far to drain his chakra on times and now he was letting him roam around with a mere genin of a kunoichi? His grip tightened around his spoon as he realized that this must have all been on _his _orders, not Leader's. He still couldn't work out where Deidara fit in with _his _plans and a nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him Deidara was a key piece in it.

"Do we have any missions?" Itachi asked again.

"No, but Deidara wrote up the mission report," Kisame chuckled.

Itachi was silent. Kisame took that as surprise and continued, "The kid's never written one before in his life. I kind of want to read what he wrote."

The Sharingan Master stood up and put his bowl of congee in the sink before disappearing wordlessly. He went into his bedroom and suddenly, a tickling sensation filled his chest. He swallowed, trying to force it down, but it bubbled up and scratched at the inside of his throat.

He coughed, bringing a hand to his mouth, and coughed again and again. It was as though somebody was squeezing his heart in their hand, as though his body was shattering into a thousand pieces, but he endured it not for the first time. He made his way over to the bed, still coughing, and when the coughs subsided, he glanced at his hand.

It was covered in blood.

* * *

"Why couldn't you just have left me alone? I wanted to rest today," I moaned tiredly.

The half smirk was back again and I wanted to smack it off. Deidara retorted, "Woman, you were getting fat sitting on your ass all the time in the hospital. I'm just taking you out for a walk, yeah."

"You make me sound like a dog or something," I growled at him.

"Well, you smell bad enough."

I hit him on the arm.

Then my hands remembered that they had just been burned by poison and searing pain shot through my body. I let out a quick yelp and hissed loudly in agony. Deidara was laughing his head off beside me at my stupidity.

"_It's not funny!" _I snapped at him.

He continued laughing and I noticed something odd. Only the right side of his face seemed to move and curve upwards, the left side seemed…dead. The bronze scope that usually covered it was only removed whenever he was alone with me, I had noticed, but I didn't bother to ask him why.

"Stop looking at me, yeah," he told me sharply.

Ignoring his harsh words, I observed, "The left side of your face is paralyzed."

He blinked in surprise and I guessed from his reaction I was correct. A surge of triumph rose within me, I was getting better at this diagnosing thing! Of course, if Tsunade ever found out she'd probably put me on clinic duty forever and that was never fun. We continued walking in silence and then I felt kind of guilty. Had I brought something bad up?

"Uh…sorry," I mumbled sheepishly.

He broke out of his daze and looked at me. He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and said, "Nah, it's alright. It was a stupid accident anyways."

"Stupid?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was eleven and I set off a bomb, but then some bastard came and smashed me back into the explosion, yeah," he admitted.

"That's _awful_! You were eleven? Did you go to a medic? I'm sure they could have done something for you-"

"Argh, woman, shut up! It doesn't matter anymore," he snapped, his face red.

"Can I at least look at it? I might be able to do something," I pressed him.

"No. Stop bugging me, I shouldn't have told you anything, yeah," he grumbled.

I began to nag, "Come on, Ara, I'll only be two minutes!"

"I told you not to call me that and you can't do anything, I've already had it checked, okay? Now leave me alone," he snapped.

"You're a dick," I muttered.

A slightly awkward silence fell. Ichiraku came into my line of vision and I instinctively scanned the seats for a blonde, spiky head. A lump of disappointment built up in the back of my throat but I swallowed it before it could manifest.

"Is that the department store?" he asked, squinting his right eye.

"It is not a department store, does it look like one to you?"

He shrugged and went on ahead, sitting down at one of the wooden barstools. I sat down beside him and pulled out a pair of wooden chopsticks from the tightly packed porcelain cup, snapping them. I played with them idly, waiting for Deidara to make up his mind as he scrutinized the menu.

"What tastes good, yeah?" he questioned me.

"The Ebi prawn ramen isn't that bad, but the miso ramen is the best," I told him and the beautiful waitress came over to us.

"Sakura-chan, it's been a while. Who's this?" she greeted me with a smile.

I was so jealous of Ayame. She was the object of male ninja desire, but had turned down every single date offered to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I began to watch Deidara for a reaction like a hawk, feeling suddenly protective.

"This is Ara, he's my friend from Ame," I introduced him to her and he gave her one of his self confident half smirks, something that made my eyes narrow.

"Oh, welcome to Konoha then. There have been a lot of ninjas from Ame coming in recently, ne Sakura? Where's Naruto-chan?" she asked me, completely unaffected by Deidara's smirk. I inwardly threw myself a party at the dejected look on his face, then her words sunk in.

I pressed, "He hasn't been here?"

"No, not for the past couple of weeks. I thought it strange he hadn't come again in such a long time because I heard from Shikamaru-san that Hokage-sama stopped issuing missions," Ayame explained.

"I haven't seen him either," I added apologetically.

She hummed thoughtfully at the new information and then remembered that she was meant to be doing her job. "Oh, I'm sorry, what do you want to order?"

"One miso ramen," I told her and then looked at Deidara enquiringly.

"Same here, _yeah_," he said, drawing out his yeah in a very pathetic attempt to seduce Ayame. I had to fight to keep myself from laughing as a bemused expression flitted over her face and she left quickly.

"Well done Casanova. _Yeeaaaah_," I teased him.

"Woman, didn't I tell you earlier to _shut up?" _he growled at me.

In an extremely mature and age appropriate manner, I stuck my tongue out at him. At first, he pulled a disgusted face but then a strange light filled his sapphire eyes. He raised his hands so that his palms were facing me and stuck his tongue out. The two mouths on his hands opened and their tongues slithered out as well. I laughed at him and batted his hands away.

With a grin, I told him, "You're not cute, Ara."

"You're right, I'm gorgeous."

"…you did not just say that," I stared at him, dumbfounded.

He rolled his eyes and smacked my hand with his chopsticks smartly. Two bowls of steaming ramen were placed in front of us, thankfully before Deidara had a chance to say anything that sounded equally as gay. He began to eat his ramen (even though it was piping hot) and I looked at him with a thoughtful expression on my face.

I reached out a hand to touch the side of his face turned towards me, the left side. For a split second, his eyes darted to my outstretched hand but then returned to his food; a silent confirmation that I was allowed to touch him. I moulded chakra to my fingertips and began to try and determine how severe his paralysis was.

The nerves were all dead, beyond repair. The muscles were as stiff as rock and I tried soothing them as best as I could with chakra, but to no avail. There was no chance of healing his paralysis and I let my chakra fade from my fingertips, feeling terribly disappointed. I drew my hand away from his face again, picking up my chopsticks.

"You happy now?" he asked me.

I mumbled, "Yeah, I guess."

I took a large bite of my ramen, chewing on it with a small sulk on my face. It was frustrating finding something you couldn't heal, it was like trying to complete a Rubik's cube only to realize at the end of the day the damn thing had been broken from the start. I swallowed and my eyes shifted to the bowl Deidara had pushed forwards slightly. He was already finished.

"My God, you eat like Naruto," I commented in disgust.

He swallowed the mouthful of noodles in his mouth and said, "You just eat slowly. Hurry up woman, I'm getting bored watching you eat."

"Then don't watch me, you stalker. And you were the one who wanted to go to Ichiraku so-"

An uncannily familiar voice, a voice that hadn't been civil to me in four months reached my ears. "Sakura?"

I froze instantly and Deidara glanced at me curiously, noticing my sudden shock. Slowly, I swivelled around on my chair and faced Ino with a strange flip flopping sensation in my stomach.

What did you say in situations like these? I sure as hell didn't know, and I'd be damned if anybody _did _know. I inwardly began to rehearse the next thing I was going to say, 'Hi Ino, it's great to see you again and have I mentioned you like simply smashing?'

Of course, my carefully prepared speech fell to pieces the moment I opened my mouth.

"Hi…Ino…" I forced out tentatively.

Two chairs down, I heard Shikamaru sigh loudly as if I had just made a wrong move. He lit up a cigarette and mumbled, "Troublesome women…"

"You and I both, yeah," Deidara agreed with him. Instinctively, I smacked him on the shoulder and he simply picked up his glass of water, drinking from it as if nothing had happened.

"Sit down, Ino," Shikamaru called her over. She blinked, as if breaking out of a daze, and sat down on the seat beside him.

Underneath the counter, I began tugging at the fabric of Deidara's shirt as I hissed under my breath, "Let's go, let's go, let's go, if we don't go I'll punch your face in-"

"Miss, can I have another bowl of miso ramen please?" he called to Ayame, who nodded and brought over another bowl.

"_Ara_, let's go," I growled at him, low enough for only him to hear.

He raised his voice loud enough for the people on the other side of the street to hear him, "But Sakura, I just ordered my ramen. It would be a waste of money if we left now, yeah."

I could have slammed my head against the table.

Shikamaru appeared to be suppressing a grin around his cigarette and Ino looked thoroughly annoyed. Things were simply going from bad to worse; I didn't even knowwhy I hung out with this guy. He was rude, insensitive, had an anger management problem and said the worst things at the worst times-

"So who are you two?" he asked Ino and Shikamaru amicably.

Oh my God.

"Nara Shikamaru," Shikamaru introduced himself, shaking hands with Deidara.

Further along, Ino said quite bitterly, "Yamanaka Ino."

"I'm Atari Arashi. I think you two know Sakura already so…" he trailed off towards the end of his sentence and a silence as cold as ice fell.

Deidara ordered another bowl of ramen, he had somehow managed to finish the one placed in front of him in record speed while I blinked. I eyed the new bowl suspiciously and told him flatly, "You're paying for your ramen."

"What are you talking about, I paid for you back in Tea, yeah," he said indignantly.

"Yeah, but you made me pay for the stupid wall that you broke and you _still _haven't paid off your debt," I argued with him, completely forgetting Ino and Shikamaru were sitting beside us.

He snapped, "Woman, you punched me through the wall and can we please stop talking about it? I've more than paid off my debt so shut up, yeah."

As I opened my mouth to argue, another voice cut in for me.

"You did _not _just tell a woman to shut up," Ino growled at him with narrowed blue eyes.

Shikamaru looked at Deidara with a look of utmost pity. Ino snapped at Deidara, "You are so tactless! How do you get off on telling women to shut up, and you don't even call her by her own name? You asshole!"

"I think you're right, let's go," he whispered to me but I grinned sadistically, refusing to budge one inch.

"- you shouldn't even have friends, the way you act-"

"_Sakura_," he hissed desperately.

"-your manners?! You're going to grow old a lonely old man in an ugly house with an ugly bed and ugly windows-"

I tried to keep from giggling at Deidara's pained expression as Ino demonstrated the epitome of a bitch fit in perfect detail. My entire body was shaking with laughter and he glared at me. Finally, Ino took a deep breath, signalling she was coming to the end of her rant.

"And I swear, buy yourself some fucking chains if you're into all that S and M stuff but don't lay a hand on Sakura or else I'll rip your balls out and feed them to the Aburame clan's bugs," she finished.

Then she smiled at me and mouthed 'sorry'.

My brain seemed to have forgotten how to control my body, my head jerked in a slight nod forwards. Then I nodded again, properly. I glanced down at the table counter, feeling relief flood through me, and then smiled back at Ino. She had forgiven me and I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear that.

Deidara slapped money on the counter and grabbed me by the wrist, dragging me away from Ichiraku and Ino. He yelled over his shoulder, "Ja, Nara. See you around, maybe, yeah."

"You asshole, come back here!" Ino shrieked at him as Shikamaru waved his hand lazily.

Eventually, Deidara let go of my wrist and grinned a lopsided grin at me, his eyes lighting up excitedly. Suddenly, the tiny scroll in my right pocket began to warm up- a warning sign.

"…do we go next?" he asked, but I was too focussed on the scroll on my pocket to listen properly.

"What?" I asked.

"I said, where are we going next, woman?" he repeated for me irritably.

My fingers curled around the small scroll.

Tsunade had asked me to create a sensor and place it in the Uchiha compound to detect when a person entered and exited it. Only I would be able to find out if someone had entered the area and I was required to report back to her, another one of her discreet signs of trust for me. This was the seventh time someone had been into the compound and it was always the same person.

"Ara, sorry, Tsunade-shishou wants me for something. I'll get back to you as soon as I can, alright?" I told him apologetically, telling a half lie.

He rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever. Being part of a hidden village is so boring, yeah."

I grinned at him and waved goodbye, disappearing in a puff of smoke. The grin immediately dropped from my face once I reappeared in my room and my heart began to pound erratically in my ears. I made my way over to a painting that hung lopsided on my bedroom wall, touching it with hands imbued with chakra.

The childish painting was the result of Naruto's big mouth. He had challenged Sai to a painting competition and had produced the painting now hanging on my wall, a picture of a smiling red fox with Christmas tree ears and duck feet. He had insisted they were paws, but who could tell with the way he drew? A pang of pain raced through my chest, I really did miss him.

My hands sunk into the painting like butter and I pulled out a sleek black box from inside of it. I opened it and took a velvet pouch from within it, a heavy vanilla scent wafted up to my nose. I pocketed it and put the box back into its hiding place before disappearing in another poof.

He was still in the Uchiha district, I could feel it.

I was probably making a huge mistake, Itachi could get angry at me, hurt me or kill me. The third choice was the most likely, I reasoned, but I…I had to know. Curiosity was something that had never boded well with me, I always had an insatiable need to know _why_ and wouldn't stop until I had my answer.

My chakra was completely masked, he wouldn't be able to immediately tell I was in the area. Once I was close though, I wasn't sure what would happen next. Would he run away and deny ever being there? No, he wouldn't, I told myself, running was the last thing the great Uchiha Itachi would do. Denial was another issue entirely, however.

The scroll in my pocket was a small but detailed map of the compound and pinpointed the location of Itachi for me. He was in a house at the very edge of the Uchiha district and I quickly made my way over there without making my presence known. I stood in front of a poorer looking house with a slightly open door.

It looked as though Itachi had failed to notice the floor was extremely dusty, a fatal mistake for the Sharingan master. I could clearly make out his footprints leading into what I presumed was the living room and my brow furrowed. Why hadn't he disguised his tracks? He would never have made such a stupid mistake, unless he wanted to be found…unless he couldn't have seen the dust…

There was a loud screech of wood on wood as furniture was moved and I quietly stole into the bedroom Itachi was in. The moment he came into my vision, I saw him visibly tense and he turned to me. His eyes didn't quite meet mine and seemed to look straight through me rather than at me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice soft and withholding a tsunami's worth of anger.

I swallowed, regretting my decision to come. I felt small again and stupid in his presence, my tongue was twisted and my words had flown clean out of my head. After a long time, I managed to compose myself.

"I could ask you the same thing," I challenged him, my words much stronger than what I felt at the moment.

The room had a cosy if not slightly wild feel to it. There was a large double bed in the middle of it with a dark blue and green zigzag pattern on its duvet that caught my attention, though it looked as though it had never been used before. A metal bookshelf stood in one corner and it was stacked with books, none of them non-fiction and I could make out a couple of instant ramen cups tucked behind a thick book titled _If I Was Hokage_. A large wooden box had been moved, the sound I had heard earlier and Itachi stood beside it.

Eventually, I said, "Alright, look, I need to know what you're doing here. You've been here seven times in the past three weeks and I haven't told Tsunade-shishou about it yet. If you're threatening Konoha, then I'm going to have to tell her."

"I am not endangering the village," he stated coolly, his voice sharper.

"Then what are you doing here?" I pressed.

When he didn't answer, I decided it was time to play my trump card. I pulled out the velvet pouch from my hand and poured the sticks of incense onto my hand. The vanilla scent permeated the air and I watched Itachi for a reaction. He remained unchanged and immovable.

"These sticks of incense were found on you when you were captured three months ago. You were headed to Konoha a few days before the anniversary of the Uchiha massacre," I explained.

It was almost as if he hadn't heard me. "Look, all I want to know is if you were putting sticks of incense around the Uchiha compound. The anniversary was just last week."

Something grew on his face, a slight pull of the lips. He was smirking at me and my brow furrowed at him, what was so funny?

"You believe that I am…_mourning _for my family," he said slowly, as though it were the funniest thing in the world.

I had a feeling I had just made an absolute idiot of myself. However, I nodded firmly.

He approached me and took the sticks of incense from my hand, rolling them between his fingertips. Our skin brushed and it felt like a jolt of electricity had jumped between us, I shuddered slightly at the not entirely unpleasant feeling. He remained unmoved and examined the incense, a ghost of a smirk on his face.

The incense was lit with a red chakra flame and I watched as it ignited. The vanilla scent that filled the room became incredibly strong and with some horror, I saw Itachi hurl the incense stick out of the open window to the right. Some base urge to run and retrieve the incense filled me, and I nearly did.

I stopped as the incense exploded, the force causing the windows to shake.

"It was a gift from Deidara," Itachi's smooth voice explained.

I stared at him and asked, my voice nearly hysterical, "You wanted to _blow up _the Uchiha District? Is that what you've been doing, setting explosions to go off on the anniversary of the Uchiha Massacre? You sick, twisted-"

"I am not going to destroy the Uchiha District," he said, his voice cold.

I repeated, "Then why are you here?"

He remained completely silent. I sighed loudly and ran a hand through my short hair, looking at him exasperatedly. I told him, "If you don't tell me, I'm going to tell Tsunade-shishou now."

He said nothing once again and reluctantly, I raised my hand to my ear to activate my tiny earpiece.

Then, I was suddenly forced back against the bed. My wrists were held in a painfully tight grip that made my eyes water and I was certain that they would break under the pressure. A cloud of dust rose from where Itachi and I had upset the duvet, we were so close. I could feel his breath on my face, scentless and controlled, but my own breath had caught in my throat in absolute fear. I was terrified of him.

"If you tell anybody about this, I will kill you," he hissed.

And I believed him.

His jaw tightened slightly. A small bead of blood began to trickle down his face, leading from the scar on the right side of his cheek. My eyes followed its descent down his face, until the droplet ran off his face and landed on my own with a barely audible drip.

He released my wrists and disappeared, his chakra creating only a slight disturbance in the area.

* * *

The next morning, there was a loud knock on the door. I rubbed at my sleepless eyes as I dragged myself towards it and opened it.

"Hinata?"

"S-Sakura-san…I found Naruto-kun," she stuttered in a rush.

I led her over to my threadbare blue sofa and she sat down quickly. She looked down at her tightly clasped hands and swallowed, looking as if she had just learned something horrible.

"Where is he? Is he alright?" I asked gently and she shook her head from side to side, and then up and down.

She eventually mumbled, "He's underground and I don't know…I don't know..."

"Underground? But isn't that where…" I trailed off towards the end of my sentence.

Underground was where torture and interrogation rooms were, and _why _would Naruto be there? If he was withholding information from Konoha, then surely Tsunade wouldn't go so far to torture him to get it…would she? I swallowed painfully. She would.

I stood up suddenly and looked down at Hinata, my eyes steeling over with determination.

"We're going to see Tsunade-sama."

"Teme, where's Sakura-chan? Or Hinata? You said you'd get one of them to come," a throaty but no less energetic voice complained.

A dark haired man sat down on the grey sofa, his body sinking into well worn depressions in the fabric. The blonde man who had addressed him sat at the other end and he made an attempt to prop his feet up on his friend's lap. Sasuke glared at Naruto and shoved his feet away from him and his genital area.

The reason Naruto had been hidden away was because the Konoha Council had become increasingly worried that Akatsuki would kidnap him, especially since they were now in Konoha. Tsunade had been forced to hide him away in the Fourth Hokage's secret apartment underground Konoha and Naruto had grudgingly agreed if it meant it would protect his friends. Still, the loneliness was driving him insane, and he was glad Sasuke came frequently.

"Tsunade-sama doesn't want anybody else to know where you are, especially Sakura. She's in a team with some Akatsuki members and she might let something slip on accident," Sasuke explained tonelessly.

Naruto scowled and looked up at the ceiling, bending his knees, "Sakura wouldn't tell them something like that."

"She fell in love with Itachi, I think she's very capable of telling them something like that," Sasuke said, spitting out the name like it was a disease.

Naruto's dark blue eyes flashed angrily and he snapped, "Don't bring that up again, bastard. You can't control who you fall in love with, so don't hold it against her."

"He ruined my _life_, how can you expect me _not_ to hold it against her?" Sasuke growled.

"She's suffered enough and if you're really her friend, you'd forgive her all God damned ready. You haven't done _anything _for her, you ass, so don't act like you're the fucking victim," Naruto hissed at him.

Sasuke fell silent, turning his head away from Naruto. His jaw tightened and his entire body became incredibly tense, every muscle taut. His mismatched eyes showed an inner struggle. Naruto's anger eventually died down and he let out a long sigh.

"Whatever. I just hope the war finishes soon so I can get the hell out of here," Naruto muttered.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview: Team Sakura**

"_What do you think about working for Konoha?"_

"Did I _give you_ permission to kiss me? No, I didn't! So don't kiss me unless I say its okay, you jerk!"

"**If you stay here, I don't think you will live."**

"**I'm a **_**medic**_**! My job is to save people's lives, even at the cost of my own and these two will need me eventually if they stay and fight!"**

"Itachi, Itachi, _Itachi_, fuck…**fuck**…"

* * *

**Talking with sexy Selandora. (note: any time Selandora is cocky, she does NOT actually mean it.)**

**Why didn't Deidara give Ino and Shikamaru his real name?  
**Tsunade's given Akatsuki orders to be sneaky if they ever have to go out of the Chuunin Examination Hall. Deidara can blend in pretty easily, he just needs to take off his forehead protector and his scope and he's safe since Iwagakure is soo far away.

**Who's this _he _Itachi is incredibly suspicious of?  
**Uh, well if you haven't read the newest Naruto chapters this is kind of spoiler-ish. If you have, then it's very obvious who it is. (I'm not really answering the question, am I.) Well, take a wild guess and the chances are you'll be 100 correct.

**Itachi's SICK?!**  
It mentions it in the new chapter, don't read if you don't like spoilers! Madara was like, ohh well you're being so awful, Itachi did all this crap for you and he was even dying from a terminal illness. Then they showed a little flashback of Itachi coughing into his hand and bleeding so I was like...hm...okay, let's incorporate that. And, its sort of important for the ending of the story.

**Why does Deidara think Ichiraku is a department store?  
**Well, this is a recap from one of the earlier chapters when Sakura and he are walking around Tea and she mentions Ichiraku. Ichi means 'One' in Japanese and I thought of a department store. (you know, like Jusco: Number one 10 dollar store! and stuff like that.) Or maybe I just have a very strange thought track.

**If Itachi wasn't mourning for the Uchiha clan...then what the hell was he doing with the incense?  
**Itachi wasn't actually going to do anything to the Uchiha District at all. There was another reason why he brought it along and it was to screw with a certain person's head.

**Why's Sakura scared of Itachi if she's in love with him?  
**Everything she knows about Itachi, she's not sure is the truth. She doesn't know if he was only acting like he was because he was a captive, she's never talked to him properly when he's been at full power and capable of snapping her neck in a second. If you think about it, she's never known him at all but then the few months she shared with Itachi were the ones where he was able to be himself more easily than ever before.

**Sakura cries all the time! Make her stop!  
**Ahh, I'm sorry! Sakura _is _a strong character, I know that, however realistically everybody cries and the situations she's been put in would make anybody cry. Most people associate crying with sadness or weakness, but people cry when they're angry or frustrated as well. You cry when you're experiencing a really intense emotion and she is quite emotional. I hope that makes things a little clearer.

**Is the fic going to focus on Itachi and Sakura soon?  
**OH MY GOSH. Just wait till the next chapter and the ones after it. There's crazy itasaku interaction and Itachi's finally going to get into the game. Deidara sort of disappears for a couple of chapters but then he comes back and then it's all itasakudei. Love triangles are actually quite annoying, I love them and all but damn it, I love Itachi and Deidara.

**Is Itachi protecting everyone from Madara?  
**Madara does have something to do with it. That's all I'm going to say.

**Why's everyone bullying Deidara about his lack of womenly genital exploits?  
**Woosh, I changed the word at the last second for all the kiddies out there. (then again, who am I to talk. I'm only 14.) Everybody loves Deidara, he's just too much fun to tease. And when you look like Deidara, how CAN you be a virgin? Then again, he is 23.

_Thanks to OkOk, SpeedDemon315, Jester08 and black55widow for the questions and inspiration for questions._

AND SELANDORA WILL BE UPDATING MORE FREQUENTLY. She went on a freaking writing craze and went from one line of Chapter 8 to finishing Chapter 8, 9, 10, 11 and half of Chapter 12 which she is writing write now. (heehee, write now.) Course, this is the reason why she will probably fail chemistry but therefore anybody reading this cannot complain to her for her lack of writing.

**Selandora (is off to finish Defining Duty.)**


	8. Chapter 8 : Team Sakura!

Chapter 8: Team Sakura

**Chapter 8: Team Sakura?**

Deidara, Kisame, Itachi and Sakura were all summoned to Tsunade's office at once. As usual, the Sharingan Master had failed to show up (or rather, purposely failed) and Sakura could feel the tiny scroll in her pocket burning and vibrating against the material of her black skin tight pants.

"Team Sakura," she addressed them and instantly Sakura's head snapped up. Kisame began to snigger childishly whereas Deidara looked absolutely outraged.

Indignantly, the explosives expert exploded, "What do you mean, Team Sakura?! That's not _seriously _our name, is it?"

"You don't really believe she'd name the team after one of the Akatsuki members," Sakura mumbled, feeling slightly flattered at the honour bestowed upon her.

Deidara spat irritably, "Yeah, but we sound like a bunch of brainless girls. I don't want to be in a team named after a _flower_."

"I don't think anybody would take us seriously," Kisame explained to Tsunade.

"Shut up you two!" Sakura barked at them, her eyes blazing.

"Where is Uchiha Itachi?" Tsunade asked, an angry expression on her youthful face.

Kisame spoke for him, "He has other matters to attend to."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously and each of her words were precise and curt with rage as she spoke, "He may not be a ninja of Konoha anymore, but he is expected to show proper respect for a village leader. Hoshigaki-san, can you please find your partner and bring him here?"

Kisame nodded, clearly unused to having favours asked of him and left the room swiftly. Sakura exhaled in relief, at least Kisame was smart enough _not _to further aggravate Tsunade when she was already angry. Her name was addressed and she did not notice until Deidara nudged her with his elbow.

"Sakura, please go to the hospital and pick up the package Shizune has prepared for you. It will help you in the mission and there's no sense in keeping you here if the entire team is not present," Tsunade ordered her.

Deidara half expected Sakura to snap back at the Godaime for ordering her around and was extremely disappointed when she left without a single word of protest. He had believed she wouldn't take orders from anyone when really she was just the same as any other ninja loyal to their village. He couldn't understand how anyone could allow themselves to be ruled by anyone and willingly give up their own freedom.

Sakura left and Deidara made to leave with her, however the Hokage's hazel eyes snapped to him quickly. He clearly understood that she wanted him to stay behind, but he had no idea why. The idea of conversing with a Kage wasn't one he was completely averse to, it intrigued him if anything. The door clicked shut behind Sakura and Tsunade put her elbows on her desk, sizing him up for a good minute or so.

"I don't like being ogled by old women, yeah," he announced.

She scoffed and leaned back in her chair, "You flatter yourself, boy. What do you think of Akatsuki?"

The unexpected question threw him off guard for the slightest of moments. His mouth twisted upwards in a smirk as he realized what she was trying to do.

"I hate them," he told her honestly.

The Hokage nodded once in understanding and folded her arms over her impressive chest, her gaze thoughtful. She was taking a huge gamble, however she believed that if Sakura trusted Deidara then that was more than enough for her.

She leaned forwards and asked, "What do you think about working for Konoha?"

"Depends. What are you offering?" he questioned, ever the businessman.

She could tell the boy was interested. "We can grant you citizenship and you can become a resident ninja of Konoha. If you become a citizen of Konoha, the Hidden Rock and any other village no longer have any claim over you and can no longer send hunter-nin after you. There is also a reward of 3 million dollars if you accept."

"I'm not interested in living in Konoha, yeah," he told her bluntly.

A silence fell.

"These are my terms. I want to be granted citizenship of Konoha, however I want to be allowed to come and go as I please without being declared a missing-nin. I don't want to become a ninja of Konoha, I will work freelance. The reward of 3 million dollars still stands. I will not be forced into doing missions," he spoke his last sentence with absolute conviction.

"I'm afraid that if you want to be allowed to come and go, you will have to do at least one mission a month. You will be allowed to choose which mission you go on, but they will be B ranked and higher. You will still have to give your mission reports to me in person but you can take any other missions outside of Konoha as long as they do not threaten us. If you threaten Konoha in any way, you will lose your citizenship and become a missing-nin of Konoha," Tsunade told him.

Although missions sounded like a bore to him, he reluctantly agreed that this was a very beneficial deal. Though, with such big rewards, what she wanted him to do for her would obviously be very dangerous. You only had to look at the way Akatsuki treated their enemies and it would put any spy off.

But it wasn't as though Deidara had anything to lose.

* * *

Tsunade had somehow gotten wind that we were one of the fastest teams around, so she sent us out to scout the area around Konoha. Apparently a team of jounin had gone out and hadn't come back, however their last radio transmission was along the lines of 'Sound nin are-" and then a long deafening scream. We were off to investigate. We had been travelling for five days already non stop.

Flying wasn't so bad the second time around. I had gotten over my initial fear of plummeting to my death some hundred feet below and was actually starting to _enjoy _flying. I noted that Deidara looked his happiest up in the sky and that kind of happiness was incredibly contagious.

"Hmm, you know this is actually kind of fun," I observed.

The bird jerked suddenly and intentionally. I grabbed onto his cloak to support myself. I shot him a glare through the back of his head he chuckled.

"Yeah, well you're not doing too well," he teased. I could hear the smirk in his words.

"Shut up, you ass."

He rolled his eyes and I changed the topic, "Hey, why don't you make another bird for Kisame and Itachi to ride on? I mean, they'll be tired by the time we get to the Sound team and they might not be able to fight well enough."

"I'm not wasting clay on Itachi, yeah. And anyways, Kisame could run for a year without stopping, his stamina's insane," he explained half heartedly, barely even looking at me.

I rolled my eyes behind his back. With a great surge of courage, I leaned over the side of the bird to look for Kisame and Itachi. I could make out the bright red blurs from the clouds on their cloaks amidst the forest canopy below.

"Hey, Kisame!" Deidara shouted down to the shark man.

Kisame leaped high above the tops of the trees with a very intimidating grin that revealed both rows of teeth. His feet glowed blue with the chakra he had used to push himself high into the sky and it looked as though he was suspended in mid air beside me.

"What?" he asked.

Deidara answered, "Speed up, yeah. I'm getting bored with the pace."

Kisame was already falling down towards the forest and disappeared into the trees again with a slightly bemused expression on his face. I laughed and turned back to face the endless sky ahead of us. Dawn was coming to pass and the sun was higher.

Suddenly I was falling off the bird.

I shrieked loudly and I saw the bird jerk violently above me as Deidara tried to compensate for the sudden loss of weight. I reached a hand out for him and then felt an incredibly muscled arm tighten around my waist. Deidara was laughing above us. Branches bashed at me from either side and scratched as my face as we fell through the tops of the trees only to stop unexpectedly.

Kisame dropped me gracelessly on the thick branch he stood on. I landed with an 'oof' on my butt, still disoriented from the fall, and felt a rush of wind as the bird swooped downwards to wait patiently above us. Instinctively, I drew my chakra laden fist back and punched his hand as hard as I could. He blocked the hit with a slight wince.

I had never said more than six words to the shark man, mainly because I was scared shitless of him, but fear had loosened my tongue considerably. I spat at him, "That was _not _funny, if you try something like that again I swear I'll pull out all sixty of your teeth without anaesthetics-"

He revealed said teeth and I nearly grimaced.

"You've got quick a right hook there, little girl. I'll spar with you later," he told me as if I had already agreed.

I gaped at him and demanded, "What makes you think I'll spar with you?! You just grabbed me out of the God damned sky for fun and-"

Something yanked me upwards by the back of my dark red shirt and I was thrown back onto the bird in front of Deidara. I swear, I was like a box of oranges or something; the two of them had absolutely no respect for me. I could feel every inch of the blonde artist's chest pressed against my back as he leaned forwards slightly to bury his hands into the feathers of the bird's neck. I shifted to move further away from him and his arms visibly tensed.

"Stop squirming or else I might crash this thing," he growled in my ear angrily and I felt the hot air travel down the side of my neck like warm water.

I felt a flush rise to my face and grumbled, "Well if I wasn't sitting in the front I wouldn't move around so much."

"Stop complaining, if you fall off again and die, then your Hokage'll be on my ass, yeah. If you're sitting in front of me then at least you won't spontaneously fall off," he explained.

"Hey, do you think I fall off for fun or something?"

"No, I think you do it for attention."

My eyes boggled and I opened my mouth again to scream something- but then stopped.

I felt the press of chapped lips against my cheek. He laughed at my shocked expression, a bright, energetic laugh that made his chest rumble against my back. I began to blush a bright red and all the words in my mind turned to mush.

Then I finally managed to string a few words together, "Did I _give you_ permission to kiss me? No, I didn't! So don't kiss me unless I say its okay, you jerk!"

I saw the crooked smirk forming on his face as I angled my head to get a better look at him. My cheek was still burning where his lips had brushed across it and it was a good burn that didn't seem to subside. I thought for a second he was going to kiss me again.

I found that I wouldn't hate him if he did.

Instead of the kiss I had been expecting, I felt something warm and wet lap at my fingers. I jerked backwards into him and he laughed again at my reaction, putting a hand on my waist to steady me. He did it so naturally, as though he was used to having to make sure pink haired girls didn't fall off his birds, and I didn't stiffen away from the touch like I normally did. It was easier to relax around him.

Our eyes met as I leaned into him. For a long, long time we stared at each other silently. It was as though I was seeing him for the first time, seeing something I hadn't seen before and he was slowly leaning in-

"_Land. We are too close to the enemy and you will give away our position if you keep on flying around," _a smooth voice sounded in our ears and we both jerked away from each other.

I fell sober and silent immediately.

Itachi had only been a nosedive away and Deidara…Deidara had tried to _kiss _me. Even though Itachi seemed to be completely averse to the idea of even talking to me, it still felt like I was betraying him somehow. Even though he was still one of the most terrifying men I had ever known, I could still remember the strangely soft kiss in the darkness three months ago in perfect detail.

The atmosphere just a few moments ago was dead and neither Deidara nor I made any move to rekindle it. I couldn't see his expression but his knuckles were white where he gripped the feathers of the bird tightly. The bird manoeuvred its way through the trees and landed on the ground with a quiet rustle, upsetting leaves as they fluttered down towards us.

As I got off, I saw a figure standing on top of a branch, watching us. I lifted my head to meet a pair of expressionless crimson eyes and froze as my heart stopped beating. He turned quickly, a dismissive and cold movement that left me without doubt that he was angry. Why would he be angry? Did he feel the same sense of betrayal I did?

Impossible, I thought. He had made it clear that he was capable of killing me and would most likely do so if I threatened whatever he was doing.

"Hey, little girl. Get moving," Kisame ordered me from where he stood a branch directly opposite Itachi's.

I couldn't bring myself to say anything and simply nodded, following after him. Behind me, the bird shrunk into the size of a toy figurine bird that sat comfortably in Deidara's hand. He crushed it angrily and returned the clay to his pouch.

Itachi came to a halt in front of us and the rest of us followed, apart from Deidara who was still slightly behind. I swallowed as he began to speak quietly, "There are two hundred fifty eight teams approaching from the north, moving fast. Deidara, return to Konoha and tell the Hokage that Sound is attacking so she can make the necessary preparations."

"Like hell I'm going, yeah," the artist spat at Itachi.

Itachi's eyes met Deidara's in a terrible clash of blue and red. His voice was similar to a flash of lightning, quiet with an inevitable underlying roll of thunder, "If you do not go back now, then the enemy nin will attack us and it will be impossible for you to leave. Our mission is to scout, not to fight, Deidara. We will follow after you on foot."

Deidara argued, "I'm bringing Sakura with me."

"Do as you wish, as long as you return to Konoha before the enemy does," Itachi told him indifferently.

"No! I'm not going with Deidara, I'm staying," I snapped at Itachi and he made no move to look at me.

Deidara's hands were clenched and his eyes were icy with cold fury as he bit back, "If you stay here, I don't think you will live."

"I'm a _medic_! My job is to save people's lives, even at the cost of my own and these two will need me eventually if they stay and fight," I argued back vehemently.

As Deidara opened his mouth to yell back, Kisame interrupted, "Deidara, just go. If she wants to stay then you can't force her to leave."

The artist watched me angrily. Slowly, as I continued staring back, I began to pick out tiny flecks of fear and desperation as he silently asked me to go back with him. I swallowed painfully and shook my head.

"I'll see you later, Ara," I told him with a difficult smile.

I saw an inner battle take place within him as his fingers dug into the palms of his hands and his jaw tighten considerably. The corner of his mouth twisted and he growled at me, "You're an idiot, yeah."

His words were harsh and cut me to the bone, but he was gone in a flash of white before I could say anything else. Something clawed at the inside of my throat, fighting to get out, and I struggled with it as I stared at where he had last stood. There was a gust of wind as Itachi suddenly shot on ahead that dragged me out of my reverie and I followed after him reluctantly. Behind me, Kisame brought up the rear.

As I ran, three small birds flew alongside me. I turned my head to face them and when I realized they were all made of clay, something pulled at my heart strings. They brought a smile to my face and the energy I had been lacking returned in full force.

"How close is the nearest team?" Kisame asked, his voice carrying across to Itachi.

A toneless answer came, "Five minutes away."

"And the next?"

"Ten minutes."

It was inevitable that we would have to fight them if they were that close. There was a shrill noise that carried all throughout the forest and made me instinctively cover my ears. Neither of the Akatsuki members made a move to cover theirs and the sound faded away.

Itachi suddenly stopped and turned. We were going on the offensive now, I realized. I took the standard medic position behind him, if I died while fighting up front then nobody would be around to heal the other two when they needed it. I glanced at Kisame and was slightly unnerved by the grin I saw on his face, but at the same time his excitement made the blood pulse in my veins in anticipation.

The first kunai hurtled towards us.

* * *

The enemy Sound nin were dead so quickly that Sakura nearly missed it in a blink. Then they were running again, the bandages around Kisame's sword fluttering behind them and a sickening crunching noise came from it.

Halfway through a leap to the next branch, Itachi spun in mid-air and threw four kunai behind him. There were two muffled thumps, he had missed the third ninja by a hair's breadth due to the nature of his awkward spin and he landed on the next branch effortlessly. Even the best ninja wasn't expected to hit all of his targets.

Kisame's hands flashed through a jutsu and a bubble of water formed at the tips of his fingers. It was big enough to encase a man's head and that was exactly what it did. It flew towards the remaining ninja who drowned to death, and then it went to find its next victim.

Sakura hadn't fought at all, conserving her chakra and strength for as much healing as was possible. If they had two hundred fifty eight teams behind them, then the likelihood would be that she would need to heal a lot. They were running faster than she had ever run before and still, the two Akatsuki members could still take down teams as they ran.

She counted the number of bodies that hit the floor. Another loud muffled thump was heard behind them and that made the eighteenth ninja in an hour- in other words the sixth team gone. Her legs were getting tired and she trickled the slightest bit of chakra into them to keep them going.

Suddenly, three teams worth of jounin and higher ranked ninja appeared around them. Itachi pressed closer to Sakura, having had experience in fighting alongside a medic whereas Kisame had little at all. Kisame had run off with a gleam in his black eyes. More teams surrounded them and for every ninja they cut down, two more took his place. It was a hopeless fight they were fighting, they were already growing tired six teams in and they had over two hundred to go.

A look of understanding passed between Itachi and Kisame. Instinctively, Itachi grabbed Sakura and he shot forwards through the enemy line with a burst of chakra. He had half expected her to fight him much like she had Kisame earlier, but she was surprisingly relaxed in his arms. When Itachi deemed themselves far enough, he jumped onto the tops of the trees and put her down, running above the forest canopy.

Her presence was a troublesome one, he noted. She was slower and he had to adjust his pace to hers, but he needed a medic. Although she was a hindrance, he wasn't actually opposed to having her there.

"What about Kisame?" she asked him in worry.

There was a cry from far off. _"Suiton: Baku Suishouha!"_

There was a loud crash of trees falling down behind them and Sakura watched in amazement as water flooded the forest below them. The water level was only a few branches below them and she could see sharks swimming in it, tails swishing back and forth as their mouths opened; scarily similar to the grin she had seen on Kisame's face.

The water level died down finally and they returned to running on the branches below them. Strangely, the branches were not wet in the least and she could see the bodies of ninjas that littered the forest behind them.

A low hum reverberated through the trees and it made Sakura's heartbeat race. Suddenly, small explosive tags plastered to the tree trunks caught her eye and her heart lurched as she found they were on every tree in sight. The tags had caught fire the moment the hum had begun and she knew instinctively she wouldn't be able to run fast enough to get out of the way.

She would die.

Something grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt and she was yanked forwards suddenly as the explosions went off behind her. She could feel the heat on her back and the noise was deafening, an angry, terrible roaring that destroyed anything it came into contact with.

Itachi was running too and he would be able to get away on his own speed alone. However, his head turned suddenly to check for Sakura and he hesitated when he could no longer detect her presence behind him. Something raced through him for the slightest of seconds that he couldn't put a name to and then sudden heat pressed against his face as he was hurled twenty feet forwards.

Deidara's birds released their grip on Sakura's shirt and dropped her onto a branch, crumbling into useless pieces of clay. Deidara had given them to her to protect her, she realised. They had carried her away from the explosion. The explosion came to pass and the expanse of forest behind her was on fire, burning bright orange and red. Sakura's eyes scanned the forest, _where was Itachi? _He must have survived the explosion, she thought, he was the closest thing to invincible but where was he?

"Itachi!" she called his name, fear racing through her.

Her heart lodged in her chest and was beating faster, faster, _faster. _Her breathing was loud in her ears as it came in short spurts, she ran back to look for him. Trees fell around her and heat pressed in on her from all side, strangling her, choking her but all that mattered was that she found Itachi.

"Itachi!"

The trees all looked the same and the Sound ninjas could be upon her in an instant. The smoke and fear pricked at her eyes and she swallowed painfully as it became harder and harder to breathe.

"Itachi, Itachi, _Itachi_, fuck…**fuck**…"

Frustration filled her. She wanted to scream and the emotion was so intense. Her entire body was tense and her short breaths came in and out, in and out-

"**Itachi!**" she screamed.

A hand touched her shoulder and she turned immediately. The Sharingan Master stood there, his left arm burned horribly. He smelled of burning skin and smoke, and she made to heal his arm. He grabbed her wrist with his good hand to stop her and began to run again. She stumbled at first and then ran with him.

"_Fucking hell, you guys alright?" _Kisame's voice crackled in Sakura's ear.

"We're alright, but where the hell are you?" Sakura demanded, her voice shaky with the aftershock of the explosion.

There was a clash of metal on the other end and he said hurriedly, _"I'll see you in Konoha."_

The other line went dead and Itachi pulled on her wrist. She hadn't noticed she had stopped but she was running again, not even thinking about the position they were in. Neither was he, nothing seemed at all strange about the situation to Sakura and Itachi. They were so driven by their need to keep on running to Konoha and the thought of survival was foremost in their minds.

Sakura glanced back as she heard rushing water far off and a gigantic tidal wave formed in the opposite direction. It crashed over the trees and put out the burning fires and undoubtedly many lives. Kisame was obviously still alive and kicking and she was glad for that.

After running for at least another three hours, Itachi suddenly stopped. He released her wrist and stumbled across the branch they stood on, supporting himself against the thick trunk of the tree. As she watched him, he covered his eyes with his hands and she could hear the deep, wheezing breaths he was taking in painfully.

Immediately, she was at his side. She tried to pull his hands away from his eyes but he refused to show her. Blood trickled out from underneath his palms and covered his face, he took another sharp breath in. Finally, she managed to pull his hands away and she felt her heart stop.

He was bleeding from his eyes.

Ignoring the blood, she pressed her hands against his eyes and fed chakra to them directly. His retinas had been damaged from the heat of the explosion, she realised and even though it was said to be impossible to heal such a thing she continued feeding chakra into him. She had to save his eyes, they were his Sharingan and they were his, they were Itachi's, they were an _Uchiha's_ and it would never be like last time-

-** give him mine then! **_Naruto was screaming and Sasuke was bleeding, Sakura didn't know what to do but she knew Sasuke already hated her -_

His eyes began healing. Maybe it wasn't her, maybe it was a side effect of the Mangekyou but it didn't matter because he was healing. Then another realisation chilled her to the bone and she gasped aloud.

He was blind.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Seeing Emotion**

"You've got lipstick all over your mouth."

"_God woman, have some dignity."_

"**Why didn't you want to tell me about your eyes?"  
**"**It did not and does not concern you. I don't see why you like to make my life your own business."**

* * *

**Never fear! Selandora is here!**

**Why was Ino mad again?  
**She was mad because Sakura was acting so weak, she really let Itachi get to her and she was so full of self pity. It wasn't just that though, it was the fact that Sakura was hogging Naruto to herself that really pissed her off.

**Why does Sakura immediately jump to the conclusion that Naruto's being tortured?  
**Well, the council obviously hates Naruto right? And since she's a medic, she would have had to go and heal the people who've been tortured so that they would be able to be tortured again and again. Everyone jumps to conclusions, like if you say someone's going to Iraq, you immediately associate it with the war.

**When does Sakura get her old strength back?  
**The next chapter is when it definitely begins coming back. She gets roaring drunk though, but that doesn't really count as weakness, yeah?

**You did **_**not **_**say Tsunade had a youthful face.  
**I _know_! I wrote the line and I cringed. I wanted to change it but at the same time I couldn't think of another word for youthful. I can't take that word seriously anymore.

**The storyline seems to be picking up now.  
**It is, the next few chapters are much more fast paced. The war starts taking place and we start to work out what Itachi is oing. And…somebody else figures out what he's doing. (gaspgasp)

**Isn't Sasuke...dead? And why's he with Naruto underground?  
**Everybody loves Sasuke. Especially when he's dead. (I couldn't resist. He's just been such an ass lately.) Nope, Sasuke is not dead and he becomes a little more important as he story goes on. Sasuke is sort of visiting Naruto, it's better explained in chapter 9.

**Did you fail chemistry?  
**Totally unrelated I know, but I actually passed with a B. I was so shocked. Maybe it's you guys' support that helped me through. XD

_Thanks to Hiei's Cute Girl, Hikari Adams and Mattes Gloss for the questions._

**Selandora (has almost finshed betaing the second chapter of Dragon Dance.) **Sorry it's so late! I'll send it over tonight.


	9. Chapter 9 : Seeing Emotion

Chapter 9: Seeing Emotion

**Chapter 9: Seeing Emotion**

_Step one you say we need to talk  
__He walks, you say sit down its just a talk  
__He smiles politely back at you  
__You stare politely right on through  
_- How to Save a Life by The Fray

* * *

He awoke.

The bed he lay on was soft, soft to the point that it would have been awful for anyone's back. His eyes opened and squinted at a bright light, then froze.

A bright light?

The light died away and he could see pale yellow walls, lilac blankets and coloured pictures with faces and dark shadows and windows. He wasn't quite sure how to react to the lack of endless black and was still unsure when he heard a voice to his right.

"Why didn't you tell me you were blind?" it asked softly.

His head turned ever so slowly and he met a pair of trembling green eyes. He was seeing emotion again, he could see it in the way her chest rose quickly, the slight angry flush of her pale face, the glaze of her eyes and the hands that were clenched in the fabric of her white shorts. She held his attention for longer than he should have credited her and then he looked away.

He rose out of bed and stood up. It was then he became aware of a sharp pain in his lower right arm and he looked at his hand, noticing that it had been bandaged up to his elbow. He only spared it a moment's thought and stood up, reaching for the Akatsuki cloak he saw hanging on the back of a chair with his good hand.

"Itachi," she called his name.

He ignored her and pulled on his cloak. It was then she cracked and grabbed him roughly, forcing him to look at her. He broke out her grip and then pinned her wrists behind her, pushing her onto the bed. He held her there with his right knee and it dug into her lower back, pressing her against the bed.

She struggled and kicked out, trying to break away from him. He leaned forwards and said in her ear, the warm air curling around her neck, "It does not concern you."

She nearly shivered at having him so close but fought her bodily instincts. She was angry now, angrier than him and spat, "It _does _concern me, I am your team's medic and I should know about all of this! Release me, you asshole, or else I swear I will call ANBU on you!"

"Call ANBU? You're being dependant on other people. You are weak," he told her coldly.

She bucked violently underneath him as she tried to get free again and he used chakra to hold her down. Their skin was in contact and she took advantage of that, sending chakra into his arms to jumble up his nerve signals. His arms twitched and he released her as her chakra caused intense pain to shoot up them. He moved away but he wasn't used to moving again after being in a bed for so long.

She punched him and his head snapped to the left with the intensity of the hit.

"**Shut up! **You don't know what it's like, having friends, having people who love and care for you, so don't you _dare_ call me weak for trusting the people I treasure! You act so strong and high and mighty but you're alone, and you will _die_ alone without having anyone who cares if you live or die!"

She drew back her hand to hit him again but he grabbed her wrist before she had a chance to do so. Their eyes met, hers flaring with anger and maybe desperation, whereas his were as cold as ice.

-** not when you're so full of self-hatred** _and even though her face was bruised and bloody, even though Sakura could barely move she was still smiling at him with that awful trusting _smile _and he hated it, hated it, __**hated it**__-_

"You do not need to tell me what I already know. It does not matter to me," he told her, his voice unmoved.

She was moving closer to him and he didn't stop her. Her fists clenched tightly and he watched her as her pastel hair fell over her face and formed a curtain, hiding her eyes from him. She was close enough that if she took another step their chests would be touching.

"That's bullshit."

Her head rose and their gazes met.

Her voice was trembling with anger, "Nobody wants that. Nobody wants to be alone and nobody…nobody deserves that, not even you."

Her hand touched his face. Her green eyes were filled with angry, desperate tears and he grabbed her wrist. He didn't pull her hand away and for a split second, Sakura thought she saw insecurity flash in the depths of his crimson gaze. His jaw tightened and then he released her hand, disappearing silently.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been?" Deidara demanded irritably as Itachi walked past the kitchen doorway. As always, he ignored the artist and succeeded in unintentionally angering him.

"I'm talking to you, yeah!" he yelled, but the sound of Itachi's door shutting cut him off abruptly.

He glared at the doorway, as though he could still see Itachi there, and Kisame rolled his eyes. Kisame's chair shrieked on the floor as it dragged across the cheap plastic when he stood. He drummed his knuckles on the table, once, twice. Then he glanced at Deidara.

"You want to go for a drink?" he asked unexpectedly.

The young missing-nin blinked in surprise and his brows knitted together in suspicion. Kisame sighed loudly in exasperation and snapped, "I don't want to get caught in another one of your stupid arguments with Itachi-san. And I'm going to see Haruno."

"Her name's Sakura."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You coming or what?" Kisame questioned half heartedly.

Deidara stood up, sliding off his Akatsuki cloak. He pulled out a roll of bandages from his pocket and wrapped his hands as he walked, covering the protesting mouths on his palms. As they both exited the compound, Kisame purposely left a genjutsu dog tag necklace on his bedside table- he'd be damned if he disguised himself for the sake of other people's sanity.

"So, where's her house?" he asked Deidara.

Deidara frowned, "What makes you think that I would know?"

"Well, you're obviously in love with her and all," Kisame explained.

"I'm not in love with her, yeah!"

All the same, Deidara still knew exactly where her house was. Kisame chuckled inwardly, the boy really was madly in love with Sakura and it seemed everybody but the two of them knew. It was kind of cute in a weird forbidden love way, he mused. He probably wouldn't have bothered with her, it would have been annoying and troublesome. He waited downstairs while Deidara went to get Sakura.

The artist scaled the walls of her apartment and knocked on the window. The window opened without a moment's hesitation and Kisame noted it seemed to be quite normal for both Sakura and Deidara to meet through the window. It must have happened more than once before. As Deidara jumped down from the window, he wrapped an arm around Sakura's waist beside him and they landed together.

"Know any good sake bars, Haruno?"

"Oh, so you're not calling me kid anymore," she commented sassily and he grinned, revealing his sharp canines.

"Nah, you were promoted to Haruno after the last mission," he told her.

She smiled and rolled her eyes. When Kisame had returned to Konoha, he had wiped out nearly twelve more teams with as much chakra as a normal genin student left. His hands had been burned from the overuse of chakra and he couldn't move his left leg properly as a poisoned katana had pierced it all the way through. It was still there when he hobbled through the gates and Sakura had been called to heal him. He was vomiting disgusting white lung fluid, but once she had removed the poison in his body he had healed automatically on his own.

Konoha had succeeded in fighting off the first wave of Sound's attacks and Tsunade had grudgingly accepted that Sakura's team was useful.

"Let's go and drink. I want to see what you're like drunk, yeah," Deidara smirked at her.

"I can out drink the both of you from under the table, Ara," she teased.

"Deidara can't drink for shit, but I'll take you on. Loser pays for the drinks," Kisame challenged her and a competitive gleam appeared in her eyes.

When they reached the sake bar, Sakura immediately took a spot towards the empty end of the roadside stall. Deidara sat on one side of her whereas Kisame sat on the other and a man came to serve them. He was obviously familiar with Sakura but he didn't stay long to chat because Kisame scared him.

"One," Sakura announced loudly before downing an entire cup of sake easily. She let out a long, relaxed sigh as it warmed her insides and Kisame grinned, following suit.

Beside them, Deidara sipped at his sake cup at a much slower pace. He watched them with an amused glint in his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. He knew for a fact that Kisame would win, the man could drink like a fish, no pun intended.

Sakura's eyes gradually glazed over and she grew less and less energetic and happy. The image of crimson eyes was burned onto the back of her eyelids and she saw Itachi's face every time she blinked. What had that fleeting moment in her bedroom meant? The more she tried to decipher it, the more she drank and the more she drank, the drunker she became.

Two hours later found a completely wasted Sakura, an almost wasted Kisame and a sober Deidara still sitting at the same sake bar.

Sakura had sagged against Deidara with half lidded eyes. As the next round of sake was placed in front of them, she absentmindedly reached out a blind hand to grab at it. Deidara sighed and took it away from her, downing it himself in one swift go.

"She's done, yeah," he told Kisame flatly.

Kisame laughed and commented, "She drinks well, for a woman. She's paying though."

"Shut up, Kisame. Ara's paying," she mumbled into Deidara's shirt.

"What do you mean I'm paying?!"

"You still haven't paid me for the wall in Tea…" her voice was floaty and light from the alcohol.

"No, I've paid you more than that, yeah," he grumbled irritably, but he still slapped down a considerable amount of money onto the counter.

As Deidara helped Sakura to her dazed feet, Kisame mouthed behind her back to Deidara, '_You're whipped'. _A sudden urge to eat sushi filled Deidara and he settled for trying to kick the shark man in the shins. Kisame easily dodged the kick and grinned in wild amusement.

Kisame went back to the chuunin hall, stumbling slightly, and Deidara was stuck dragging Sakura home. She tripped over her own feet and laughed, a warm if not crazy laugh and Deidara grunted slightly as he steadied her. Although it would have been hilarious to watch her fall flat on her face, he somehow didn't believe he'd have his perfect nose for very long if she ended up breaking hers.

"God woman, have some dignity," he grumbled.

She laughed and tripped again, hardly listening to him. He caught her for the second time and grew frustrated. His reputation be damned, he threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

With growing fascination, she stared at his ass as it moved from side to side as he walked. She then announced loud enough for the entire world to hear, "You have a nice ass."

Deidara went a shocking shade of pink and quickly removed her from his shoulder. They were getting weird looks from the people around them and Deidara tried very hard to avoid them. He carried her in his arms and she snuggled against his chest comfortably.

"I swear, you're awful when you're drunk, yeah," he muttered low enough for only her to hear.

She looked up at him the entire time and he purposely didn't look down at her. He couldn't carry her up the side of her building wall out of fear that she'd vomit all over him, so he had to walk up the stairs like a normal civilian. As he reached the door and realized it was locked, he swore inwardly.

He shook Sakura and he heard her keys jingle in her pocket. He pulled a face as he realized he would have to take them out himself- this was really doing awful things to his libido. Slowly and cautiously, he began to pull her keys out of a pocket that was suddenly way too close to her crotch area.

He nearly dropped her when she moaned loudly.

"Fucking hell woman, stop that!" he hissed at her angrily, his heart beat racing.

Her eyes fluttered open in a smouldering porn star gaze and he swallowed with some difficulty. She shifted in his hold and began drawing lazy circles up his bare left arm that tingled too pleasantly. Deidara hurriedly opened the door and it slammed behind them as he shut it with more force than was necessary.

He dropped her on the bed and all but ran to the bathroom. He splashed cold water onto his face and stared into his reflection. It stared back with a somewhat desperate and frustrated look on its face and he groaned quietly to himself. When he thought he had composed himself, he went back outside and walked to Sakura.

She sat up when she saw him and slowly dragged a finger over the skin of his neck. She rose to her knees and her hands snaked around his neck, doing terrible things to his lower abdomen as something warm and heavy began building up inside of him. When she kissed him, a sudden instinct to throw her off of him and go have a very cold shower filled him.

Her mouth opened. Her tongue darted into his mouth, tracing over his teeth, over the roof of his mouth and she moaned – _moaned_ – and he completely forgot that she was wasted.

His hands pulled her roughly to his body and she tangled her fingers in his hair as the kiss grew more aggressive and heated. When they broke apart for air, a string of saliva connected them and she chased his mouth again. He gently pushed her away and she whined. He was going light headed and came to the firm conclusion that the next time he went drinking with Sakura, Kisame was taking her home.

Wait, no, no, no, if Kisame brought her home then- he cringed at the thought of blue skinned pink haired children.

As she started closing in again, he disappeared hurriedly in a shower of feathers.

When Deidara walked into the Akatsuki kitchen looking extremely flustered, Hidan raised an eyebrow. Kisame didn't notice the artist as he was rifled through their brand new second hand refrigerator and Itachi was sat at the table with a cup of warm tea in between his hands. Deidara went to the opposite side of the kitchen and leaned against the counter, his eyes darting to the window. Kisame pulled out a carton of milk and proceeded to drink it.

"You've got lipstick all over your mouth," Hidan commented.

A gush of white milk spurted out of Kisame's mouth and nose as he erupted into unrestrained laughter, whereas Deidara went pink for the second time that night.

Deidara spluttered, "N-no, I don't-"

"You lost your virginity to a drunk girl!" Kisame laughed, doubling over and gripping his stomach.

"Shut _up!_" Deidara yelled angrily.

"That's fucking low. Even Jashin-sama would frown upon you for taking advantage of her," Hidan said in disdain.

"I did _not _take advantage of her, she just came onto me-"

None of them noticed when Itachi left the room silently and shut his door with a soft click.

* * *

The morning daylight spilled over Itachi's legs, only this time he could actually see it. Absentmindedly, he stared at his hand and the golden glow that encompassed it. The note he hadn't been able to read nagged at the back of his mind and he pulled out the small folded piece of paper from the depths of his cloak. His eyes scanned over it, a small frown knitting his eyebrows together.

**The other half is at the river.**

- _and he felt sick, sick as he drowned the man in the river, watched him struggle and the life bubble from his mouth until he fell as limp as a rag doll - _

He coughed painfully, feeling the familiar copper taste burning the back of his throat. Raising a hand glowing with healing chakra, he pressed it to his neck, healing it again and tried to repair the new damage. He knew it was hopeless but at least it would keep him going for a little longer.

The river mentioned was unmistakable, but he was still reluctant to go. He fingered the other scrap of paper folded along with Shisui's note and his mouth set into a grim line. He had a promise to keep and he couldn't ever go back on it. He left the compound in a flash and reappeared in the Uchiha district, beside the river.

His hand dipped into the river as he kneeled on the dead grass of the neglected riverbank. The cool water rushed over it and he saw another face, another awful smile and jerked his hand away, his chest rising at a rate faster than was normal. He stared at the water for a long time before taking a deep breath and stripping off his shirt and pants.

He dove into the water and it chilled him to the bone, the cold gripped him like pleading white fingers. He ignored it as best he could, his mind set on only the piece of paper that Shisui had said would be here. It would be in a container to keep it dry and he looked around for it, surfacing three times to take long breaths of air.

He could find nothing, even after scouring even the walls of the riverbed. With some disappointment, he swam to the shallower part of the river towards the bank. He stood up and rubbed at his eyes to rid them of the cold water.

"Weird place to have a swim," an unmistakably feminine voice commented and he turned to the source.

A pink haired woman sat on a small dock that protruded from the widest part of the river. Her bare feet swilled around in the water and broke its surface. His clothes were beside her (she had moved them) and he sighed silently as he waded towards her.

"Why are you following me?" he demanded in his hush velvet voice.

She shrugged and answered, "Somebody's got to keep an eye on you, right? Anyways, I don't think you make hanging out with people a habit so I decided to grace you with my presence."

He nearly scoffed at that and was suspicious of how comfortable she seemed to be around him. The last time they had spoken had ended in an argument and he expected her to hold some grudge against him. He pushed himself onto the wooden dock and sat with his back facing her. It was a small space and they were too close to each other, sitting in an awkward silence.

"You're a hindrance to me. And I don't need your friendship," he stated.

He heard the water splash as she kicked her feet slightly. Ripples formed on the surface of the water and he watched as they branched out over the river. She retorted sharply, "I don't really care what you think you need. You didn't think you needed your eyesight when you were going to fight in a war, so I don't really trust your self judgment right now."

He was silent. He didn't remember her having such a strong personality before, but he supposed that he hadn't seen her in three months after all. The change wasn't unwelcome though, it made her more interesting. He let her talk to him because subconsciously, he knew he was in her debt and maybe this was a way of paying it off. Sakura felt the need to break the silence again.

"So…how are your eyes?" she asked tentatively.

He surprisingly decided to give her an answer and further the conversation. "They're fine."

"Wow, you're talkative," she commented dryly. Her heart lurched as silence followed, had she maybe overstepped the line? She still wasn't sure how comfortable she could be with Itachi before he bit her head off.

Itachi turned his head to meet her teasing gaze and said, "I have no wish to talk to you."

"You see, that's a lie. If you didn't want to talk to me, then you would have told me to leave by now and you wouldn't have answered my question. I think you secretly like my company," she mused aloud.

"You flatter yourself, I am not the friend you believe me to be. Now leave."

She leaned back on her hands, the wood creaking beneath her. Her gaze drifted upwards to the cloudless blue sky and he watched the water sparkle with the morning sunlight. She didn't stand up to go and as he had already established that there was nothing in the river, he didn't need her gone.

"Why didn't you want to tell me about your eyes?" she asked quietly.

The sun slowly dried the water on his skin and he could feel her gaze upon the back of his neck. He answered, "It did not and does not concern you. I don't see why you like to make my life your own business."

"Well, maybe it's because if you're blind, you won't see something coming towards you, you might actually _die_. Since you don't take care of yourself, somebody else has to," she turned to look at him and he shook his head slightly in disbelief.

He told her bluntly, "That kind of naiveté will kill you."

"Aren't you charming?" she said sarcastically.

He pulled on his grey shirt and wrung out his long black hair. A shower of water droplets covered the dry pale wood of the dock and he ran his fingers through the knots in his hair. Sakura watched him with an amused smile on her face and he stopped, raising an eyebrow at her antics.

"You look just like a girl when you play with your hair," she laughed.

He had to admit, he didn't quite know what to say to that. He settled for picking up his dark blue jogging pants and pulling them on. Sakura averted her gaze and watched the sparkle of the river, captivated as it shone like a hundred thousand sapphires. Itachi sat down again beside her, legs crossed, and she had to admit she was surprised he had stayed with her for so long.

"I have this awful hangover. It's a good thing you don't have a really loud voice like Kisame or else I'd be in so much pain," she said to fill the silence.

He asked, "If I started talking loudly, would it make you leave?"

"You wouldn't do that. You like having me around," she insisted.

"You're delusional."

"Yeah, well you're a jerk."

She then froze in horror at what she had said. He was going to stab her in the heart with a kunai any second now, she was going to be so, so dead. The look on her face was comical and Itachi found it amusing. He let the comment slide and said, "I didn't think you would result to such childish insults."

No kunai in her body? No blood on her shirt? Sakura recovered from the shock and said, "I didn't know you had expectations of me."

"They're not very high. You are quite weak," he told her matter-of-factly.

There was something captivating about the way her emerald eyes lit up angrily and a pink flush climbed up her neck and cheeks. It was amusing to draw out the emotions in her and as much as he hated to admit it, she was interesting.

"What are you talking about, you haven't even seen me fight!" she spluttered indignantly.

"Hm."

His eyes were lighter than they had been in a while and he seemed almost relaxed. However, Sakura didn't actually take notice of these subtle details and was a bit nervous and very happy that she could have a normal conversation with Itachi. She had thought her feelings for him had ebbed away but they returned in full force, stronger than before.

She rose to her feet, putting her hands on her hips. His eyes flickered to her figure for the briefest of moments and a melancholy expression washed over her face, a sudden change from the angry one just moments ago. Her ability to change easily from emotion to emotion fascinated him, he hadn't been able to see such things for so long. Comfortable silence fell between the two of them.

Then Sakura slipped with a scream into the river.

She surfaced and pointed an accusing finger at Itachi, "You jerk! You pushed me in!"

"Do not accuse me for your own stupidity," he told her sharply.

Her eyes flared and she pushed herself out, her clothes stuck to her body like a second skin. Her white shorts had gone completely see through and he could make out the triangle of her white underwear line through her sheer shorts. He averted his eyes quickly.

"My stupidity? _My _stupidity? I'll have you know I'm smarter than you."

He was silent and stared over the river, his expression steely again. The sunlight of the water reflected onto his face and his eyes glimmered strangely with the light.

"Hey, that's really rude! You should look at someone when they're talking to you and you should apologize for what you did!" she complained angrily.

He turned his head to look at her and the corner of his mouth twitched. "I have nothing to apologize for. And I can see your underwear."

She looked down suddenly in horror, realizing what he meant and sat down. Self consciously, she tried to arrange herself in a position that would prevent him from seeing her panties. She then noticed that her shirt was way too revealing for comfort and pulled at the fabric. It landed with a wet smack against her stomach and stuck to her skin.

"You know, a real gentleman would give a woman their dry clothes," she ventured.

He raised an eyebrow as if to say, _Are you stupid or something? _and turned his head away. She let out a loud sigh and crossed her arms over her chest in a position startlingly similar to one of Naruto's, frowning as she looked over the water.

"…can I have your pants?"

"No."

"Come on, I'm going to be walking around and all the perverts will be staring at my ass," she pleaded with him.

He stated, "I am not giving you my pants."

His guard was down and Sakura had taken advantage of that. She tried to shove him roughly into the river, but he heard her lunge towards him. He dodged and grabbed her by her left wrist, throwing her into the river. She gripped at his shirt with her right hand at the last minute and yanked sharply. He fell in with her.

Itachi surfaced first with a mixed expression. He looked down at his clothes that were now well and truly soaked. Behind him, Sakura had recovered from the fall and was laughing loudly. He turned his head to face her and she had thrown her head back, her eyes closed as something that sounded like life bubbled from her lips.

"See, none of this would have happened if you had just given me your pants," she pointed out.

He pulled himself out of the river and made a series of quick hand signals. He disappeared silently and left her standing in the water alone.

* * *

So, I was cold and shivering and extremely self conscious as I walked through Konoha. Wherever possible, I travelled along rooftops to avoid being scrutinized for too long and kept to the shadows.

"_We're needed in the Hokage's office," _Deidara's voice spoke to me through my conveniently waterproof earpiece.

"Right now?"

"_Yeah. She's throwing a bitch fit again," _Kisame informed me.

I let out a loud sigh and debated whether to go home and change or to go straight to the Hokage office and make a fool of myself. If I went home first, Tsunade would probably kill me and I didn't want another excuse to make her angry at me. Despair lodged in my throat as I realized I would actually have to go straight to her office.

Trudging into the Hokage office, trailing water behind me as I went was probably not the best way to make an impressive entrance. Tsunade's eyebrows rose high into her hairline, but she didn't say anything. Kisame, however, did.

"Those are ugly panties."

I glared at him and said through gritted teeth, "Thank you, Kisame."

The door opened behind me and the room went silent as Itachi entered, dripping wet. This was the first time he came to a mission briefing, and it seemed like he was only there to embarrass me. I looked as far away from him as possible as I tried to subtly hide my ass from the other people in the room. Deidara looked absolutely horrified, whereas Kisame tried to stifle his laughter. He snorted loudly and completely ruined the effect.

"I will not yell at any of you right now, though you all deserve it for being so unprofessional," she growled at us. Deidara looked very much the kicked puppy and I was the only one who had enough shame to look guilty.

"You need to go and retrieve information from this spot," she indicated to a mark on a map spread before her, "and bring it back to Konoha. I want this finished within the hour."

Only Deidara and I nodded, whereas Kisame was still grinning and Itachi was stone faced as ever. We turned to leave.

"And Sakura, change your pants," Tsunade called after me.

I went a bright red whereas Kisame burst into howls of laughter beside me. Deidara purposely slowed down so that he was walking behind me and a small smirk stretched at the corner of Itachi's mouth.

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke?" Naruto asked and Sasuke glanced at him.

"You know that bag you gave Sakura-chan? The one with the 'Sexy Ninja' patch on it?" Naruto pressed.

Sasuke inclined his head slightly and asked, "What about it?"

"Where did you get the patch? I want to get one." Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"I didn't buy the patch or the bag. I found it," Sasuke explained.

Naruto frowned suspiciously. "You found it? Where?"

"In the river of the Uchiha District."

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Reunion**

"_You have not been performing the task I assigned to you, Itachi-san."_

"You're treating him like he's not even a person! Naruto's a human being and should have his own choices and rights, you can't just take his freedom away from him-"

"I can take it away when thousands of lives are on the line!"

"_**Is this what this is about? Your brother?"**_

"Do you think the world revolves around you?"

"Yes. I pass."

"**What is it, Hidan?"**

"**I've found the jinchuuriki."**

* * *

**1-800-SELANDORA-IS-SO-SEXY**

**Is that the random question game that's been mentioned in the preview?**

Ahaha, yes! It returns, and with the same players as last time. There is still itasaku in the next chapter, but Deidara's not so important right now. He's had his time in the spotlight, it's time for Itachi now.

**How long has Itachi been blind?**

At the end of Defining Evil, Sakura helped heal his eyes a little bit. She didn't have enough time to fully heal them so it was only temporary relief, he's technically been blind for a month until Sakura took pity on the bastard.

**What's Dragon Dance?**

It's a story I'm helping to beta/doing a collaboration with Crimson Violets and I still have yet to send her the second chapter when I'd promised her. ACK. I'm so sorry! I just finished, I'll send it to you straightaway! (Please read it! It's good fun and original.)

**The last chapter was really intense, emotionally speaking.**

Yeah, I'd like to think it was. This story needed some kind of emotional climax in the first arc. The second arc, the War Arc, begins in the next chapter. I really love emotions, they're so much fun to write and I normally end up feeling really emotional myself writing them. Of course, sometimes I go overboard and cram too many into the wrong character.

**Why didn't Itachi just suck it up and go see Sakura about his eyes?**

There's something I've realized about Itachi, especially after the past few manga chapters. He is not proud at all, and that was the mistake I made with Defining Evil. He didn't go to her because he didn't want to be seen as relying on someone, but rather because he couldn't. This is explained in chapter 13 (ahh, that's a fun chapter).

**Was Itachi blind because of the Mangekyou or the explosion?**

He's technically blind because of the Mangekyou. The explosion further damaged his eyes.

**Is Itachi a bit of a coward when it comes to Sakura?**

That's a very good way of putting it. This is partially true, mainly because she knows so much and he knows she does have a bit of power over him. Since he's always trying to become more powerful, the fact that she can control him a little bit must be terrifying.

**Is Itachi jealous of Deidara and Sakura?**

Just slightly. Deidara's more jealous of him really.

**Are Deidara, Sakura and Itachi going to become or have a threesome?**

Although threesomes are incredibly hot (just kidding) I'm afraid not. I think the only stories that work with a proper, accepted three way relationship is the Team 7 relationship excluding Kakashi.

**Selandora (the sickeningly emotional one who has to go sneeze right now)**


	10. Chapter 10 : Reunion

**Chapter 10: Reunion**

_To do what's right  
__When everything is wrong  
__It's easier to lie, easier to lie  
_- Easier to Lie by Aqualung

* * *

Hinata and I had tried hard to get into contact with Tsunade, but every time we were turned away either because she was too busy or she wasn't in. I was getting seriously annoyed and Hinata was desperate.

"Sh-she's probably busy with the war," Hinata mumbled glumly, "She probably doesn't want to see us…"

I grit my teeth and slammed down my wooden chopsticks beside the ramen bowl. I put down enough money for the both of us and dragged her away by the wrist.

"We're seeing Shishou, whether she likes it or not."

* * *

Standing atop the deserted head of the Fourth Hokage, Itachi stared impassively over the flickering lights of Konoha. The look in his eyes was far away and his face was stark white against the darkness of the night.

- **that's ours **_and Shisui smirked, his eyes shining with complete and utter devotion as the lights of Konoha sparkled in his eyes and Itachi followed his gaze, something catching in his chest - _

Two figures sprinting up the ridiculously long staircase of the Hokage tower caught his eye and he noted with some little interest that one of them had vibrant pink hair. Intuition pulled at him and nagged him to follow her, and he watched her disappear into the building with a black haired girl in tow. He presumed she was going into the Hokage's office and he completely blocked his chakra signature.

The Hokage's office had a massive glass window, which was perhaps its biggest failing. He had been trained to lip read as a member of ANBU and he watched the conversation play out between Sakura, the Hyuuga and the Hokage. The Hokage had her back turned to him so he was unable to figure out what she was saying, but Sakura was obviously angry.

Sakura gestured firmly with her hand, her green eyes wide with rage as she demanded, _"Why is Naruto being kept underground?"_

There was a pause in which the Hokage spoke and then Sakura attacked again, _"We have the right to know, Hinata is his girlfriend and I am his best friend. He would want us to know if there's something wrong with him, I want to be able to help."_

The Hokage stood up and turned her back on Sakura, staring out of the window. Itachi consciously made an effort to slink further back into the shadows, but the Hokage hadn't seen him. The Hyuuga was the jinchuuriki's fiancé?

"_This information is top secret. If Naruto's location is leaked out to the Akatsuki then Konoha will be endangered," _the Hokage stated, her face expressionless.

Sakura was angry again, _"You're treating him like he's not even a person! Naruto's a human being and should have his own choices and rights, you can't just take his freedom away from him-"_

"_I can take it away when thousands of lives are on the line!" _The Hokage shouted back at her student, turning sharply to meet the gaze of her student.

Itachi noted that their personalities were similar, though that was to be expected of a student and their master. Still, an argument between two headstrong people never boded well for anyone at all.

"_Tsunade-sama…I just want to know if Naruto is alright," _the Hyuuga woman, who had been silent up to this point finally spoke up.

Nobody spoke. Finally, the Hokage sat down and put her head in her hands. As a smile blossomed over Sakura's face and a hesitant one pulled at the Hyuuga's lips, Itachi presumed they had been allowed to see the jinchuuriki.

Itachi saw them leave and his eyes narrowed slightly. The ring on his hand began to burn against his skin and he glanced down at it, realizing he was being called by Pein from outside of Konoha. He disappeared silently without causing the slightest disturbance and followed the path the ring charted out for him in his mind, coming to the base of a gnarled tree.

"You have not been performing the task I assigned to you, Itachi-san," a toneless, dead voice stated.

Pein stood atop the tree branch, staring down at Itachi. Itachi met his gaze coolly, unperturbed by the fact that this man was his Leader. Itachi knew that _he _was probably looking, and he ignored his base urge to look for Madara in the treetops.

"You do realize this delay is harming our goal," Pein pressed.

Itachi said, "Yes."

"Have you no new information concerning the jinchuuriki?" Pein questioned.

He deliberately withheld information from Pein. "He has been missing ever since our arrival and no one knows of his location."

He said nothing more and Pein nodded. He dismissed Itachi, who disappeared silently, and a figure dissolved through the tree trunk. His single burning red eye glowed ominously in the shadows and Pein closed his own eyes.

"Has his eyesight been restored?" Madara demanded.

Pein shook his head and answered, "He refuses to allow the girl to heal him."

Madara frowned underneath his mask. He said, "Make sure she does."

He disappeared into the tree again and left Pein alone.

* * *

The knock at the door woke Naruto up and he groggily presumed it was Sasuke at the door, coming to see him again.

"Go away, bastard. I want to sleep," he grumbled.

"Shut up idiot, your voice is jarring," Sasuke snapped back from where he was sleeping on the sofa.

The both of them froze suddenly and looked at the door. Only Sasuke, Tsunade and Jiraiya knew where Naruto was and they both knew for a fact that Tsunade would never come down and Jiraiya was in Amegakure. But then, who else could possibly be at the door?

It was Sasuke who stood up and went over to the door. Naruto saw the kunai gleam as he pulled it out of his holster and followed suit, preparing himself for a battle. Sasuke and he exchanged a look of understanding and Sasuke put his hand on the doorknob. It turned sharply and the door slammed open.

Naruto lowered his kunai in shock. "Sakura?"

The pink haired woman standing in his doorway took a step inside and revealed a smaller, black haired woman.

Naruto felt something catch in his throat as he locked eyes with his girlfriend, "Hinata…"

She smiled at him weakly, her eyes brimming with emotion. Naruto instantly ran over to her and enclosed her in a tight embrace. Hinata looked as though she was fighting back tears and her hands grasped his shirt tightly, trying to pull him closer to her. Sakura watched the scene play out with a melancholy smile and stole a glance at Sasuke. He was clearly avoiding her gaze and her breath hitched. Was he still angry with her?

Sakura sighed silently and decided not to let Sasuke ruin her time with Naruto. She went over to the sofa and energetically threw herself onto it, rolling onto her back as she stared at the ceiling. She cracked open one eye and glanced at Naruto and Hinata.

"Yeah, hi too Naruto," she said sarcastically, but obviously without any ill intention behind her words.

Naruto and Hinata finally broke apart and he shot Sakura a bright grin, looking quite overwhelmed. He asked, "How did you guys get in here?"

"Shishou let us in after Hinata won her over with her amazing natural charm," Sakura smiled at Hinata and winked at the nervous looking girl.

"I just wanted to see you…if you're angry I can go…" Hinata mumbled.

Naruto cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead against hers. He told her softly, "I've wanted to see you for a long time too, I missed you."

He kissed her and the scene made Sakura think of the kiss Deidara had stolen while they had been flying. Then she thought of the kiss Itachi and she had shared before his fake execution and it was suddenly hard to breathe. Naruto and Hinata's obvious love for each other made her wonder if she would ever be loved in return.

She faked a smile and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. He stiffened considerably and she yanked him behind her as she left, shouting behind her, "I'm just stealing Sasuke for a bit. If you get Hinata pregnant, you'd better name your first kid Sakura!"

She shut the door behind her and Sasuke instantly wrenched his wrist from her grip. He stormed ahead and when they were far enough from Naruto's underground hovel to not be heard, he stopped and turned to face her. His eyes were angry as he glared at her and asked, "Why are you here?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Get over yourself, I didn't come for you. I just wanted to give Naruto and Hinata their time together, she's missed him a lot."

Sasuke's mismatched gaze was hard and he spat at her, "You shouldn't even be here. You're a threat to Naruto."

"What do you mean I'm a threat to Naruto? He's one of my best friends, I would never do anything to endanger him," she said indignantly.

"You're working with the Akatsuki! Of course you're a threat, you fell in love with _Itachi _and what's to say you won't give away information to another member?" he demanded.

Sakura yelled back at him, "Is this what this is about? Your brother?"

"No, this is about you giving information to another Akatsuki member you've _whored yourself out to_-"

A loud crack filled the narrow hallway.

Sasuke slowly turned his head back to face her, his cheek stinging. In a low, betrayed whisper, she said, "I would never…_never_ do anything to hurt Naruto. You should know that by now."

She turned on her heel and walked away from him. Sasuke yelled after her, "You're so full of shit! Are you going back to fuck one of the other Akatsuki members now? I bet you're probably even in on their scheme to kidnap Naruto! Don't come back here again!"

His shouts followed her all the way down the hallway. She fought hard to keep from running, and it was only when she turned the corner and disappeared from his sight that she fled.

She ran aimlessly throughout Konoha, her feet leading her way. Her mind was in turmoil and she was trying to keep from letting the tears overspill, but she needed to get away. The door leading to the Uchiha District was already open and she stumbled in, her body guiding her towards the river.

Itachi was sitting on the wooden dock, staring over the water. Sakura was so overcome by her emotion and the sight of him only served to make it a hundred times worse. Maybe it was her own sub conscious that had sought him out and maybe a part of her had known that he would be at the river, but she sat down at the edge of the dock. He was seated on the adjacent side, their shoulders almost touching. She hugged her knees to her chest and stared over the sparkling river.

He said nothing and they sat in silence. She began to tremble and his eyes flickered to her reflection in the water. Her head was buried in her knees but she was fighting to keep absolutely silent.

This time he made no effort to tell her to leave. He pretended not to see the wet splashes on the dry wood of the dock and stared over the river.

* * *

When Sasuke returned to Naruto's apartment, Hinata was already gone. He sat down on the sofa and Naruto glanced at him, taking in the fact that he was incredibly tense and there was a frown on the Uchiha's face.

"Where's Sakura?" Naruto asked him.

Sasuke said nothing and stood up, walking into the small kitchen. Naruto followed him and his eyes narrowed as he demanded, "Did you say something to her?"

Sasuke ignored him and pulled out a glass from the drying rack, filling it with water. Naruto felt his entire body prickling with anger and shouted, "You did, didn't you? What did you say to her?"

"I told her not to come here again," Sasuke finally answered. He kept his eyes straight ahead, avoiding Naruto's eyes.

Naruto had balled his hands into fists and he grit his teeth to the point it was causing him pain. He then said in a dangerously low voice, "That wasn't it though, was it?"

Sasuke finally met his eyes and that gaze told Naruto all he needed to know. Instead of exploding and punching Sasuke, he instead pointed to the door and growled, "Get out of my house."

The glass was put down without another word. The door shut with more force than was necessary and Naruto stared at the glass of water on the table.

Anger contorted his features and he smashed the glass away with the back of his hand. It hit the wall and shattered into a thousand shards, each a broken reflection of emotion.

* * *

"Your brother is an asshole."

I saw his eyes flicker to my reflection and our gazes met in the water. I slowly uncurled myself from the ball I had become and let my feet dangle into the water, uncaring that my shoes were going to get wet. I watched the ripples they created with little interest and Itachi said nothing, his gaze returning to whatever he had been looking at earlier.

"I'm almost tempted to say you're the better brother," I confessed with a humourless laugh.

"Hm."

I supposed that meant he didn't really give a shit. I sighed and glanced over the water. What had I been expecting, for him to listen to all of my problems and give me advice? Itachi the counsellor- now that was a laugh. Though, he had let me sit with him so I guessed if he wanted me gone he would have said something.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

Our gazes met in my reflection again and I elaborated, "For…you know…letting me sit here and stuff."

"You would have proved troublesome if I did not," he stated.

I scowled and muttered darkly, "Forget I said anything then."

- **Akatsuki member you've whored yourself out to **_and his mismatched eyes were angry and I was angry because he didn't know anything, he _didn't know anything -

I glanced down again, feeling a lump form in my throat. I tried to distract myself and asked, "Do you think Sound will invade Konoha anytime soon?"

"It is likely. They have not made a move in a while," Itachi answered tonelessly.

"Yeah, I thought so too. Hey, what's the deal with Deidara and you? He really hates you," I remembered aloud.

Itachi shrugged and said, "I was the one who brought him into the organisation on Leader's orders."

"It was you?! No wonder he hates you, I'd hate you too," I exclaimed.

"Hm."

"I mean, you aren't that bad really. Sure, you don't say much and you're really overconfident, and you're a bit of a jackass-"

"Do not push your luck."

"I'm just saying," I said quickly.

A long silence fell between us.

"Hey, you want to play a game?" I ventured.

Itachi asked, "Is this the stupid game you wanted to play last time?"

I smiled at him in surprise and said, "You actually remembered? I'm touched!"

He remained impassive and we fell into silence again. Eventually I asked, "What underwear are you wearing?"

"I do not want to play any game of any sort with you. And, I deem that an inappropriate question and therefore refuse to answer it," he answered flatly.

"Ahh, come on! You were like this last time too, please just answer the question."

"No."

"Urgh, fine. Your turn. Ask me a question."

"I am not playing."

I groaned and complained, "You are honestly no fun. I'd have more fun playing with a wall."

"Go and find one then," he stated mildly.

My eyes narrowed at him and I sighed frustratedly. I didn't even know why I bothered with him sometimes.

"You, sir, are not a gentleman. What do you do in your free time?" I asked him, reverting back to the game.

"Nothing of interest," he answered.

"Look, why are you still here if you don't want to play the game?" I demanded in exasperation.

"I was here before you, it was you who came and disturbed me. I do not see why I need to move and I have already said I do not want to play such a childish game," he explained coolly.

He then added in an afterthought, "And I pass."

"Do you think the world revolves around you?" I asked him, my eyes narrowing.

"Yes. I pass."

The man honestly had no shame. I kicked my foot in annoyance, sending water across the river. I tried to think of a question and stared over the river, but slowly lost my track of thought. I sobered and the mood dampened.

Finally I found my question.

"What is this, Itachi? What are we?"

Silence fell between the two of us again.

Then he stood up and walked away.

* * *

As Sasuke rose out of the ground, Hidan's eyes narrowed. Wasn't that Itachi's bastard brother? He stayed put and hid from the Uchiha, his gaze following him as the man walked off angrily with a frown on his face. When he was absolutely sure Sasuke was gone, he drew closer to the area Sasuke had just risen from.

The ground was solid. Hidan glared down at it and realized that it must have been genjutsu. He brought his fingers together and muttered, "Kai!" However, the genjutsu did not release. It must have been a high ranking genjutsu.

He sighed loudly and bit on the edge of his thumb, hard enough to draw blood. With the blood, he drew a small star in the ground, the sign of Jashin, and the blood seeped into the dirt. The cut quickly healed as he closed his eyes and brought his hands together in prayer.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing on a trapdoor. He hid his chakra signature to the best of ability, aware that it could give him away. He opened it easily and withdrew into the passage it led into. It smelled sterile and he could hear screams from one end, a sick grin stretched across his face in pleasure. The lights were all weak and the off white walls suggested that this was not a very pleasant place.

He began walking quickly, if someone found him then it could mean the end of the Konoha and Amegakure alliance. He turned a left and then took another left at a second fork. The wooden strip that lined the bottom of the wall had been consistent until now, he realized, there was a sudden break where it stopped and then started again.

_Sloppy, Konoha, _he thought with a sardonic grin, _very sloppy_.

He broke the genjutsu he knew was there on the wall and went into the hallway it revealed. There was only one door at the other end and he made doubly sure that his chakra was hidden. He slowly approached it and stared at the door.

There was a loud and sudden crash on the other side and Hidan instantly tensed. Then there was a huge chakra spike and a torrent of incredibly evil washed over Hidan, making the silver hairs on his skin stand on end. The intensity of it was stifling and he had only ever once experienced a chakra this choking and evil before.

A grin pulled at the corners of his lips.

The jinchuuriki was on the other side.

He quickly exited the underground tunnel network, he probably wouldn't stand a chance against the jinchuuriki alone. The genjutsu repaired itself behind him and he pressed his thumb against the engraving of his ring. A thin trickle of chakra clung to the surface and seeped in through the character there.

_What is it, Hidan? _Pein's voice was as unemotional as ever.

_I've found the jinchuuriki. He's being held underground Konoha. _Hidan answered, sending Pein images of the underground passage and entrance.

There was a brief silence on the other end. _You are absolutely sure of this._

_Yes. I felt his chakra signature._

The connection was suddenly cut on the other end. Hidan glanced up at the blue Konoha sky and grinned, aware that very soon it would be streaked with blood red clouds.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : First Wave**

"_If you don't hurry up, Itachi-san's going to get her."_

"We've got a war to fight, you bastard, don't run off on us now to fight your brother. He's on our side."

"**Sakura…**_**damn it**_**, stay with me…**_**stay with me**_**!"**

"Sakura, do you _love _him?"

* * *

**Selandora's Tips on How to Be Beautiful **

**This story is better than Defining Evil.  
**Agreed. I'm having more fun writing it too and I think I have a better sense of the character.

**Can you explain what happened to Sasuke's eye?  
**Well, for those of you who've read Kakashi Gaiden, it's almost exactly the same as that except that Naruto lived after giving Sasuke his eye. Sasuke really loves his Sharingan and since he didn't have anyone to blame other than himself, he blamed Sakura for not being good enough a medic to repair his eye.

**Itachi should have worn white as well in the previous chapter. : )  
**I agree, but if I did that I probably would have been unable to finish writing the chapter because I'd be drooling all over the keyboard. Itachi's too hot, we should leave something to the imagination. (heehee)

**Is there going to be anymore deisaku?  
**There's a whole chunk in the next chapter. I'm trying to find a balance for the itasaku and deisaku, since this is meant to be a love triangle, so Deidara's always going to have his time with Sakura.

**Who did the bag belong to, Ayame or Shisui?  
**Urk, I think I may have confused a few people. The bag belonged to Shisui, but after Shisui died Itachi believed that all of Shisui's possessions should have gone to Ayame since she was his fiancée. Shisui hid the bag in the river so that Itachi would find it, but Sasuke found it first and took it as his own. Then he gave it to Sakura.

**Did Sasuke find the secret thing in the bag?  
**No, he didn't because he's an idiot. He doesn't deserve to find out what's in the bag, the ass.

**Is Itachi going to meet Ayame again?  
**Definitely, but I'm not sure if it's going to be a happy or a sad meeting yet.

**I thought Sakura would have more self-control when it came to drinking.  
**I actually wanted to make Sakura a terrible drunk in the beginning. It would have been really ironic. Sakura did have really good self-control I felt, sake is pretty strong stuff so for her to have been able to nearly out drink Kisame, who's much older than her and goes drinking on a regular basis, is a real feat.

**Didn't Sakura know Itachi was blind already?  
**Itachi was not blind at the end of Defining Evil, his eyes were in bad condition. Sakura thought he was still able to see and when she healed him, he could see much better then he went off (being the idiot he is) and abused it which resulted with his blindness. So no, she didn't know he was blind.

**Is this going to end up itasaku?  
**I'm still struggling with that question. Ask me when I'm halfway through the last chapter haha.

**Is Itachi a villain?  
**Uh. Sort of. It's extremely complicated and it'll sort itself out later on. : )

**How can Itachi see Sakura's underwear when he's blind?  
**He's not blind anymore, she healed him. (Did I not make this clear? I'm sorry about that.)

**I've seen your oneshot called Is There A Ninja In Your Pants? floating around . What is it?  
**(this isn't obvious advertising at all.) Ahh, well I feel incredibly ashamed of myself for promoting another story here. I've really quite gotten into narusaku and there was a period of time I was quite upset, so I wrote Is There a Ninja In Your Pants? to cheer myself up. It's really good fun, I was laughing so hard as I wrote it, and its basically about how Naruto's trying to pick up Sakura in the worst ways possible. And since I've told you about Is There A Ninja In Your Pants, you might as well check out Everything as well.

_PS. Thanks to mistressofmischeif, Dip'ndots, WinglessFallenAngel, IcecreamSkittlesaddict, BlackButterfly-RedRose, Hiei's Cute Girl, mintxrain, Hikari Adams, Retsu-chanXD for inspiration for anything above._

**And just because I thought this moment was so priceless, I'm going to put it up and share it with you guys.**

(Cheryl walks down the school hallway and the people around her begin clapping)  
"Why are they clapping for her?"  
"She finished twenty seven episodes of Claymore in a week."  
"Holy shit, that's amazing-"  
"You guys clap for stuff like that?!"  
- a prime example of otakus in our school.

**Selandora (thanks you all for your lovely reviews.)**


	11. Chapter 11 : First Wave

**Chapter 11 : First Wave**

Deidara punched at the training block in frustration, once, twice, three times. Kisame watched him with little interest and glanced down at Samehada. He was getting bored, they had all been sitting around on their asses for the past week without the slightest bit of action. It didn't help Itachi kept disappearing who knows where and their favourite flower girl had become surprisingly impossible to contact.

There was a loud crack and Deidara swore loudly as splinters of wood sank deep into his knuckles.

"You should probably go take anger management," Kisame commented offhandedly and Deidara shot him a scathing look.

He barked, "Shut up. I don't need it, yeah."

Deidara set to pulling each of the splinters out slowly and painfully, wincing as he did so. Silence fell between the two of them and Kisame watched him through unreadable obsidian eyes.

"You should just give up," Kisame said.

Deidara jerked in surprise and a blinding pain shot up his arm. He pulled out the blood covered splinter quickly and threw it on the floor. He growled, "What?"

"Haruno. She's in love with Itachi-san and she doesn't have time for you anymore," he answered mildly.

The mouths on Deidara's hands began to gnash their teeth anxiously and he clenched his fists. His body became tense and he could feel the anger simmering in the depths of his chest, ready to boil over and explode.

"I'm not stupid. I can tell you love the girl, hell, anyone could tell you're in love with her," Kisame continued.

Deidara immediately rounded on him, his sapphire eyes blazing in rage. He opened his mouth and spat, "You don't know what you're talking about, yeah. Sakura's not in love with Itachi, she's not stupid."

The black gaze Kisame fixed Deidara with made him uncomfortable. Doubt began to pool within Deidara's mind and he began to think things over. Unwanted memories cropped up.

- **no! he wasn't **_and she had been so angry, outraged that somebody had criticized Itachi and jealousy raced through him - _

_- _**need to go home **_and she had been so willing to obey Itachi's orders, loyal like a servant, loyal like a wife, and he had grudgingly carried her home but she never actually saw him because her head had been too full of Itachi - _

- **heal them if they stay and fight! **_and Deidara knew she wasn't talking about Kisame, she was only talking about Itachi and everybody knew it - _

"Even if she does love him, she's only going to get hurt," Deidara growled bitterly.

Kisame stated, "I know you don't want that to happen. Hurry up, or Itachi's going to get her."

He left Deidara and the room. Deidara stared after him in stunned silence.

* * *

Hinata had told me that Naruto wanted to see me and the slight flicker of suspicion in her eyes wasn't lost on me. I thanked her awkwardly before setting off to go see him.

- **don't come back! **_he screamed after me and it needed to stop, it needed to stop stop_ stop -

I didn't think I could handle another confrontation with Sasuke. It would probably destroy me and I'd end up running back to the little river in the Uchiha District, my newfound place of sanctuary.

My footsteps were loud against the floor as I walked through the deserted tunnels underground. I drew towards Naruto's apartment and released the genjutsu, walking through it and knocking on his apartment door. There was a loud grating of a rusty doorknob and the wooden door swung open, revealing the grinning blonde.

"Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed happily and he yanked me inside, shutting the door behind me.

I immediately made a beeline for the messy couch and lay down on it, crossing my arms over my chest. I rested my head against a pillow that had been haphazardly thrown there. He lifted my legs and sat down on one end, propping them up on his lap. I grinned back at him, his smiles always were contagious.

"How're you?" I asked him.

"Could be better," he answered, pulling a face.

"What, are you saying you don't want me here?" I demanded in mock seriousness.

He steeled his expression and stated, "Yes."

"Alright, fine. I knew this was a waste of my time."

As I made to swing my legs off of his, he grabbed at them and kept them in place, laughing. I began to laugh as well and threw the pillow at him, which he caught and threw back at me twice as hard. I let out a muffled 'oof' as it smacked me in the face.

"You are an ass."

He stuck his tongue out and retorted, "You don't have one."

I kicked him and he made an effort to pull his legs close together in protection. Another wrestling match ensued and it ended with Naruto letting me win. Silences with Naruto were always awkward, I found, but he was the one to break it.

"You look like you're finally happy," he noted and I looked at him from the corner of my eye.

I smiled and sunk deeper into the sofa. I nodded and he smiled too, but it was a sad one. He confessed, "I mean, I'm glad you're happy and all, but it sucks I wasn't around to see it happen step by step."

"What, am I your lab experiment or something?" I asked with a slight frown.

He shook his head quickly and explained, "No, no…I meant that I thought I was a good enough friend to help you out but then it looks like you were just fine without me."

The melancholy look on his face was making me sad. I had completely forgotten how much I had missed Naruto, with all the Akatsuki members that were suddenly taking up most of my life and I swallowed painfully. Naruto had the biggest heart and he didn't deserve to be trapped underground like a prisoner. On impulse, I reached forwards and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace and we sat like that for a long time, trying to make up for the time we had lost together.

"You helped me a lot, Naruto, I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for you," I told him quietly and his arms tightened around me. He coughed, his throat thick with emotion, and we both broke apart. I lay back down on the sofa and after a few minutes, a grin stretched across his face.

"So…who's the guy?" he asked with cheeky glimmer in his eye.

I shot him a blank look. "What guy?"

"You know...the _guy_," he stressed just as vaguely as before, only with some suggestive eyebrow movement.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. Eventually he sighed loudly.

"I know somebody else must have made you this happy. Who is it?" he demanded.

I paused and tried to think of an answer to his question. Who _had _it been? It couldn't have been Itachi, I had been happier before he waltzed back into my life and if anything his presence had made things worse. I couldn't bring myself to regret it though, I was strangely grateful he was still alive. That still didn't answer the question though, who had helped me with my depression?

- _**I broke the wall? **_**You were the one who punched me with your manly strength, yeah **_he snapped and for the first time in a long time, I _felt _something, I felt angry and the emotion seeped through me and I felt _alive_ -_

I knew instantly who the person was, though I wasn't sure how well Naruto would take it.

"Uh…I don't think you'll be too happy," I told him reluctantly and his eyebrows knit together in bemusement.

"Course I'd be happy, he helped you didn't he?" he said, waving a hand dismissively.

I took a deep breath in. "You know that guy who killed Gaara? The blonde guy from Akatsuki?"

"Yeah, he was such a bastar- wait a minute…"

I smiled nervously at him as his eyes narrowed to slits. I could see the inner struggle within him and I wouldn't blame him if he burst into a huge fit, especially since Deidara had actually killed one of his best friends. But I would greatly appreciate it if he didn't go and mutilate Deidara into tiny little pieces, since I did quite like the guy.

Finally Naruto sighed, the sound a mix of both frustration and defeat. He shut his eyes and in a mantra he began, "He made you happy. It's okay. Gaara's not dead."

Then he ventured, "So, what's he like?"

"Ara?" I said in surprise and he nodded stiffly.

I frowned. "Well, he's a bit of an asshole. Okay, he's a big asshole, but not as bad as Sasuke. He's got anger management problems and he likes blowing things up (don't ask) and he calls himself an artist. He's a bit loony as well and he says yeah at the end of every other sentence. He's really cynical and sarcastic and he calls me ugly – can you believe it? – and the first time we met he made me pay for a wall he broke. He's not a gentleman at all and he really pisses me off."

Then I smiled, a soft, absentminded smile. "He acts really tough all the time but sometimes, you can see that there's more to him than that. He jokes and laughs and cares for other people- he's not a heartless person at all. In fact, I think he's the most emotional Akatsuki member I've met."

Naruto had still said nothing up till this point, and I glanced at him. The look on his face was contemplative and I waited for him to say something. What he said next was unexpected.

"Sakura…do you _love_ him?"

My mind went absolutely blank. All I could do was stare at him. When I had regained the ability to think and speak, I scoffed a bit too quickly.

"N-no, of course not, Ara's cool and all but I don't think I'd ever…" I took a deep breath in and continued, "Ever love him…"

I had to convince myself there was truth in those words, but it felt as though I was lying.

* * *

The incredibly loud explosion made the buildings of Konoha tremble and leaves fall from the trees in the Forest of Death. The green tea in a clay brown cup rippled and Itachi watched it through crimson orbs as it stilled again. He didn't even flinch when the cup suddenly cracked and tea began seeping through it onto the table. Kisame's eyes following the tea as it slid over to the edge of the table and dripped onto the floor.

The drips were painfully loud as they smacked against the cheap plastic tiling. Neither man made a move to clean the mess however, both simply watched as the liquid dripped…dripped…

"_Backup needed! Calling medics and squads to the East Wall, we've been attacked by Sound!" _a hurried, terrified voice rushed on their earpiece.

"God, these headsets are annoying. You want to go help them out?" Kisame asked Itachi.

"Hm."

Kisame grinned and said, "I thought so. Haruno's probably busting a gut up there though, fighting them all off-"

"And why are you telling me this?" Itachi asked coldly.

His partner shrugged and explained, "Just saying. I quite like her actually, she's not like all those simpering little kunoichi you see around nowadays. And she's not half bad on the eyes, though her hair is an annoying colour…"

An hour passed, in which neither of them said nothing.

Then an increasingly familiar voice, _"Calling for backup, they've attacked the hospital-"_

Sakura's words were cut off suddenly and the line went dead. Kisame frowned and readjusted his headpiece in case there was something wrong with it, but the thick silence that followed held a hint of foreshadowing. It was no surprise when they both heard the slam of a door and Deidara rushed past the doorway to the main hall. In fact, Kisame had actually expected it.

He let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. Now he'd have to go and baby sit Deidara. "I'm taking Deidara. You coming?"

Itachi shook his head once and Kisame left. He stared at the cooling tea on the table and shut his tired eyes.

When Kisame exited into the Forest of Death, he couldn't see Deidara anywhere. He swore loudly as he realized that the artist must have flown off to the hospital and set off quickly after him.

Deidara performed a spectacular backflip off of his bird as it nosedived below to the approaching Sound nin. He had judged the distance the explosion would reach and as it burst into crimson and red flames behind him, he was only slightly buffeted forwards by the force of it. The windows of the hospital rattled before stilling again. The nin below him weren't as lucky and as he landed, he glanced backwards to admire his handiwork.

The men lying on the floor were all, luckily, Sound ninjas. He didn't think Sakura would forgive him if a stupid Leaf ninja was caught in the explosion and, remembering Sakura, he ran towards the hospital.

There were figures in grey Sound uniform engaged in battle with the Leaf ninjas in the windows of the hospital and he paused, trying to look for a flash of pink. He didn't want to comb every single floor for Sakura because he would waste too much time.

He spoke into his headset urgently, _"Sakura, what floor are you on? I-"_

A loud, piercing sound cut him off and instinctively, he threw his hands up to shield himself as the glass in all of the windows shattered into tiny pieces. They fell to the ground like crystal droplets in a noisy shower, a part of him revelled in the beauty of it. Adjusting the scope over his left eye, he pressed a button and everything blurred into black and fuzzy blues and greens.

His scope could pick out chakra signatures. He had memorized Sakura's chakra signature by now and began to search for it through his scope. In an instant, he found it on the top floor of the hospital and began to scale the walls. There were no windows there, he realized and he would have to start from the third floor.

He jumped through the first window he found and ignored the dead bodies of Konoha medic-nin clogging up the hallway, stepping over them. Four white birds flew from his palms and followed him as he followed Sakura's chakra. She was running out quickly and it would only be a matter of time before she was completely out.

"…give it up, you're as good as dead," A sound ninja sneered at Sakura.

She was protecting the entrance to the ward for the most severely injured ninjas and the other medic with her looked as though he could barely stand up. It was clearly an unfair fight, there were seven Sound ninjas attacking them.

"Ninjas from Konoha never give up," Sakura snarled angrily and there was a muffled thump as the other medic with her fell to the floor, dead.

"Cut the bullshit, you self righteous bitch," another man spat at her.

She was suddenly slammed against the door to the ward and had been unable to react quickly enough because she was so tired. In her daze, they threw her to the floor and pinned her down. Her headpiece activated itself. She was struggling violently enough that three of the men had to restrain her and the squad leader punched her across the face. Deidara could hear everything through his headset.

"How much time do we have?" one of the Sound ninjas asked.

The leader smirked sickeningly and Sakura felt her stomach clench as he answered, "Enough."

Suddenly, he was ripping at her clothes and she screamed, trying to lash out at him. He took a kunai and slashed it against her arm, a warning, but he cut deeper than he should have. She couldn't fight them off, she was fatigued from fighting for the past hour non stop. When she thrashed again, she was stabbed with a kunai, first in her shoulder and then in her upper arm.

The blood mingled with her sweat and made the wound sting. She continued struggling, bucking and trying to rip her hands free from the men who held her down. Her shirt tore messily with a loud rip and the leader punched her again. Her head cracked to the side as he dislocated her jaw and she coughed loudly as she choked on her own blood.

"Stop!" she screamed, "Let go of me, you _bastard_!"

Her pants were being yanked down by them and there were so many hands grabbing at her body. She shouted and thrashed against them but there were _too many_ _of them_. She clamped her legs together and somebody held her head in a bruising grip, keeping her from moving it. Her legs were pried open and a kunai accidentally cut deep into her inner thigh as she struggled, the blood running down her legs. She felt a hand at her entrance and screamed.

The name slipped from her lips before she could help herself, "**Deidara!**"

The moment her scream reached Deidara's ears, he pushed himself to run faster, faster, _faster_. Her yells and screams were echoing in his ears and he heard a loud crack as bone broke. A group of men came into his line of sight and they were all crouched on the floor around Sakura. He saw red.

He threw his kunai as hard as he could and it pierced the leader's skull, slamming through it and out the other side. The men holding Sakura immediately released her and turned to face Deidara, but they weren't fast enough as he smashed the first ninja he got his hands on into the wall. Their spine broke and they crumpled to the floor lifeless, but Deidara wasn't in a forgiving mood and brought his foot down on their head. The disgusting crunch that followed splattered him with warm blood.

The new kunai in his hand was stabbed into a man's chest and was stabbed again, and again, and again and the blood spurted up in a jet of crimson. The man was screaming, shrieking in pain and Deidara threw him to the side carelessly. The man jerked and shuddered, Sakura could clearly see his mutilated lungs. Deidara moved onto the next victim.

When Deidara was finished, he stood with his back towards Sakura. He turned his head slightly so that his icy blue gaze met her emerald one. Her body was curled inwards on itself and she hugged her knees to her chest defensively. Her shirt was mangled and her pants were on the other side of the room, covered in the blood of one of the remains of a Sound ninja.

His voice was unexpectedly harsh and made her flinch when he spoke, "Did they do anything to you?"

He moved and knelt in front of her so that they were at eye level, his scope dangling from his hand. His front was covered in blood and his cheeks were smeared with the crimson substance, his body taut with his still not completely spent rage. Sakura couldn't speak, couldn't say anything- he had just mutilated the Sound ninjas before her eyes and he had been so _ruthless_, so…so _terrifying_. She didn't want to believe that he was capable of such a thing but he **was **and she would have been an idiot not to say it hadn't scared her.

His eyes were still so cold. It hurt her to look at him and she averted her eyes quickly.

She finally found her voice, but it was quiet and weak, "N-no."

Deidara's hand clenched instinctively, and he looked every bit an S Class murderer. Sakura couldn't stand it, this wasn't _her _Deidara, he was _human_,and she hated seeing him like this, she hated it, hated it, _hated it-_

Her trembling hands cupped the sides of his face.

She whispered his name, "Deidara."

Immediately, his blue eyes widened. The life flooded back into them and they became a warmer blue. His hand rose and held hers in place, as their gazes held each others. The rage dissipated into nothingness and she kissed him gently, his body relaxing.

From a far way away, Kisame watched them. It had been a long time since Deidara had been as angry as that, he mused, and it was no mean feat that Sakura had been able to calm him down so quickly. Even though Deidara had killed the ninjas so quickly, there had been no skill involved at all. It had just been mindless killing, and Kisame frowned. Deidara wouldn't stand a chance against Itachi if he fought like _that_.

When Sakura pulled away from Deidara, his fingers ran through her hair. She smiled at him and then he became aware of how much she was bleeding. Her blood pooled around her and seeped through the fabric of his pants. She collapsed.

All the medics in the hospital were out of chakra or dead and they wouldn't be able to do anything for her. It was ironic. Sakura was half naked and Deidara quickly draped his cloak around her before scooping her up in his arms. Kisame made his presence known by approaching them with quick strides.

"There are more medics at the East Wall, you have to hurry or else she'll die of blood loss," Kisame informed him quickly and Deidara nodded, unable to conjure words.

"_They're attacking the compound," _a voice so smooth you could run your hands over it and not come over any bumps, spoke into their earpiece.

In a split second, Deidara had jumped onto one of his birds and was off, flying towards the East Wall. Kisame returned to fight with Itachi and was momentarily stunned by the sheer amount of ninjas surrounding the chuunin examination hall.

There were at least fifty ninjas, he mused and he could clearly pick out Itachi fighting in an area far away from Hidan and Kakuzu. It was obvious he could not fight with them, he would only screw up their team dynamics and in a way he was being courteous for not going to them. Kisame took a step back before breaking into a fast sprint, and he used the hilt of Samehada to vault himself high into the air over the ninjas. The bandages around Samehada unravelled themselves and kunai clattered against it as he used it as a shield.

He landed a few feet away from Itachi who acknowledged his presence by meeting his gaze quickly. Kisame grinned in response and from the damp ground he conjured three more water bunshins who surrounded Itachi as he flashed through hand signals. They protected him and Itachi inhaled deeply.

"_Katon! Housenka no jutsu!_"

Flames burst from his mouth and caused the water bunshin in front of him to evaporate. The impressive hovering fireballs immediately went for their targets and burned them to death.

As Kisame slashed with Samehada, Itachi covered Kisame's blind points easily by throwing needles with terrifying accuracy that slammed into the necks of unsuspecting ninjas. An ice user slammed his hands against the ground and it turned to ice, causing them to skid slightly on the slippery surface. Itachi made hand signals for another fire jutsu and it turned the ice to water within seconds.

"Kisame."

"I know!"

The water rose from the ground and hardened into trembling needles of water that hovered expectantly around Kisame. He swirled Samehada over his head once and then slammed it into the ground. The needles shot off in random directions, smashing through eyes and piercing through skulls. Itachi was currently locked in hand to hand combat with three other ninjas and as he kicked one man in the chest hard. Blood spurted from it and a hidden blade in Itachi's shoe was revealed.

"Where is the girl?" Itachi demanded and Kisame nearly stopped fighting to gape at him in shock. He was _worried_ about _Sakura_?

Kisame recovered quickly and blocked another onslaught of kunai. He replied, "She's not in a good way, Deidara took her to the medics."

"Hey, you fucktards! Get out of the way!" Hidan shouted to them, his hands in prayer position.

Instinctively, Kisame and Itachi left as fast as they could- and not a moment too late. A huge blue light consumed the battlefield and they both squinted as it became too bright. When it died down, all the ninjas in the field were but black char marks in the ground and Hidan was on one knee, gasping for breath. Kakuzu appeared beside him and when Kisame turned to address Itachi, he realized he wasn't there.

Itachi was running towards the East Wall, he _knew _Sasuke would be there. He had to find him and his plans were finally falling into place, he couldn't allow any mistakes. The East Wall came into sight and he dashed through the frenzy, looking for a single head of spiky black hair.

"Kiba, behind you!" a voice that had changed so much shouted, and Itachi swivelled.

The dog ninja they had rescued some time ago was fighting tooth and nail beside his brother. They were both separated by a sudden explosion and Itachi knew it was his chance. He ran towards Sasuke, he had to find some way of getting his attention…

Immediately, he knew exactly what to do. His fingers flashed through hand signals and he inhaled deeply.

"_Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu!" _

A great torrent of flame burst from his lips and it was so powerful that everyone surrounding him stopped and stared. One of these people was Sasuke and the moment their eyes met, he knew that the first step of his plans had been achieved. Sasuke was running towards him, his face contorted in anger and Itachi simply watched him approach with a cool expression.

Kiba grabbed Sasuke by the scruff of his collar and pulled him back, hissing, "We've got a war to fight, you bastard, don't run off on us now to fight your brother. He's on our side."

"You knew?" Sasuke spat, outraged and Kiba nodded.

Sasuke pushed Kiba away from him roughly and looked up again to attack Itachi. Up ahead, he saw a gigantic white bird with a man dressed in Akatsuki robes and he felt something clench in his stomach. He ran towards it and, using chakra, jumped as high as he could. The distinctive clash of metal on metal was heard.

"What the hell are you doing, yeah? I'm on your side, asshole!" Deidara hissed at him and Sasuke landed back on the ground. It had been the wrong person and he swore loudly, combing the crowd for Itachi.

Deidara spotted Kiba and swooped down to him. He leaned over the side of the bird and yelled, "Hey, dog boy, where are the medics?"

Kiba squinted up at him and shouted back, "They're further back, near the Academy."

Deidara nodded and flew off, gripping Sakura tightly to himself. He had pressed his hands against the worst of her wounds in an attempt to staunch the blood flow and the mouths on his hands were gagging from the acrid taste. Adjusting his scope, he zoomed in and began to look for the Academy.

He brought his bird down to land and before he had even hit the ground, he jumped off with Sakura in his arms and began running. He stumbled at first and regained his footing. The bird set off again in the direction of the battlefield. The first person he spotted was Ino and he shouted out to her.

"Ino! Ino, you have to help her!"

The moment Ino's eyes had fallen upon Sakura's limp body and the blood gushing from underneath his hands, she had run towards him. He dropped to his knees and laid Sakura down as Ino began to heal her. Sakura began to regain consciousness and the first thing she saw was Deidara's face.

"Ara…?" she whispered his name in a hoarse voice.

His bloodstained hand was combing through her hair in a soothing manner, not to soothe her but calm himself. He could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage and he couldn't ever remember being so scared. It was worse now because he was so much closer to losing her and it felt like he would lose everything, it was unreasonable but it made sense in his frantic mind.

She sucked in a deep breath and coughed, blood flying from her mouth as she did so. Ino swore loudly and began pushing more chakra in, more and more, but Sakura was running out of blood-

Her hand groped for Deidara's and she gripped it tightly as her back arched off of the ground. Her breath was coming in gasps now and her face was a deathly pale. Ino was in tears and she was panicking.

Ino began screaming, "Get someone over here! I need help!"

Deidara's hand was stroking her cheek, he was holding her hand impossibly tight and his expression was contorted in frustration and anger. "Sakura, _Sakura_, shit, you can't just die on me. Come on…come on…"

- **nobody deserves that **_and she wouldn't be able to keep Itachi company anymore and it hurt because she wanted to stay with him, wanted to help him -_

- **somebody else must have made you this happy **_it was Deidara, he was always making her smile and laugh and even when he was annoying her she was still _happy -

And she knew what she had to do.

"_Souzou Saisei: Genesis of Rebirth."_

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Forever  
****(Warning- this is a pretty intense chapter)**

"_She never forgave herself."_

"_**You've cut your lifespan by another **__ten years__**, Sakura, you won't live to be thirty."**_

"My team is going to Sound without me?"

"Sakura, you didn't know?"

"**Are you happy, Itachi? Are you happy now?"**

* * *

**Presenting…Selandora!**

**What took you so long to update?!  
**I was sort of away in Europe. :S I wrote lots of stuff but the problem is I need to redo quite a bit of it since some things are really stupid. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it.

**Is Kisame worried about Sakura?  
**Yeah. He's become attached to her (even though I haven't really put many bonding scenes with those two in) and believes Deidara treats her better. Personally, I agree with Kisame.

**What's with the cup cracking before Deidara runs off to save Sakura?  
**I think this is a Japanese thing, but if a cup cracks then it's a bad omen. I picked that up from Rurouni Kenshin (man, I love that series) a I'm trying to find a way to squeeze the sneeze saying in. "If you sneeze, then somebody's talking about you."

**Shouldn't Naruto be angrier about Sakura being best friends with Deidara?  
**Naruto has been with Sakura from the beginning of her depression so he knows how bad and difficult it was for her. If somebody helped her out of it, regardless of who they were, he would have been grateful.

**Wait, why did Sakura kiss Deidara?  
**…because she loves him, duh. Nah, I'll give you a better answer. She was so scared of seeing him in that monstrous way that she was so relieved to see him back to normal. Henceforth, the kiss.

**How come Deidara wouldn't be able to defeat Itachi the way he was when he completely lost control? He was so powerful!  
**Deidara is full of raw power which stems from his anger, much like Naruto. He's meant to be a long-range fighter so that naturally means his short-range isn't as good. His anger took over which means that even though he was moving really fast and powerfully, he had loads of openings for someone to land a hit. If he was against Itachi, he'd be kind of screwed.

**Whoa, wait, how does Sasuke fit into Itachi's plans?  
**Sasuke is Itachi's back up in case things go wrong. I won't say anymore than that.

**Is Sasuke going to end up being an ass in this story?  
**Well, since I hate him, he probably will. I haven't really gotten to the end yet. :S

**Why's Sasuke so hellbent on making Sakura the bad guy?  
**This is partly explained in the next chapter. The other part of it is that Sasuke is incredibly possessive, he never thought she'd love anybody but him. Then she fell for Itachi and he's become kind of jealous.

**Does Itachi like seeing other people's pain?  
**NO! Itachi does _not _like seeing other people's pain.

**Why does Itachi seem to unconsciously follow Sakura around?  
**You'd never get him to admit it but he does like her presence. He's quite a lonely guy, that one.

**Is the random question game really important in this story?  
**Nope. At least I don't think so. (hm…)

**Itachi avoided the one question that was personal in the random question game. Is that because he won't or he can't?  
**It's a bit of both really. There's going to be this huge massive truth revealed about Itachi's character a couple of chapters from now so it'll make more sense then. If I was to give you a straight answer, it would be because he _can't_ give her an answer or else it'll put his plan in jeopardy.

**Did that Claymore thing **_**really **_**happen?  
**It did actually. There are too many Claymore freaks in our year, I'm the only one who's so obsessed with Naruto (hence the fanfiction).

**Have you finally decided who the final pairing is going to be?  
**Yes. I've known all summer long so do not worry anymore guys. : )

_P.S. Special thanks to Pandastacia, mintxrain, Hiei's Cute Girl, Evil's Worst Nightmare, Hikari Adams and Crazy Neko Girl for the questions. Extra thanks to Namimakura who gave me the longest review ever and Juniper11 who reviewed Defining Evil, Is There a Ninja in Your Pants? and Defining Duty eight times in one day._

**Here's another anime moment.**

"You know, I don't know what's sadder. The fact that I'm studying Naruto ninjutsu instead of English literature, or the fact that I considered studying for English."  
"Let me ask Lil."

"She said the second one."  
- me and JJ

**Selandora (thanks everybody who's put up with her so far.)**


	12. Chapter 12 : Forever

Chapter 12: Forever

**Chapter 12: Forever**

"_If my arms are torn off, I'll kick him to death. If my legs are ripped off, I'll bite him to death. If my head gets cut off, I'll stare him to death and if my eyes get gouged out I'll curse him to death. Even if it means getting torn into pieces, I'll get Sasuke back from Orochimaru no matter what!"  
__- _Uzumaki Naruto, Naruto Manga

* * *

"Do you know what you've done?"

The incriminating whisper carried across the hospital room towards a barely conscious Sakura. She shifted slightly in bed and met Tsunade's betrayed hazel gaze.

Sakura said nothing.

"You've just cut your lifespan by another _ten years, _Sakura, you won't live to be thirty."

Tsunade's eyes were red and raw, she had been crying hours before for her student. It was another life thrown away and Sakura didn't deserve that, she should have outlived Tsunade and become head of the hospital, or trained another head medic, or _something_. She didn't deserve to die early.

"I know," Sakura finally spoke, her voice quiet.

"You _don't, _Sakura! You're only nineteen!" Tsunade shouted at her angrily.

Sakura swallowed. "I was going to die."

"No you weren't! I was on my way to heal you and then…"

They both knew Tsunade's words were complete and utter lies, but the blonde woman was beyond reason. Sakura could find nothing to say to her teacher and eventually Tsunade stood up, leaving the room.

Now that she was alone, the silence that filled the room was stifling.

The window opened and she turned her head towards it, her gaze met the last person she had expected to see at the hospital. Itachi's crimson eyes were much more intense than usual and she could almost read a meaning in them. He watched her, noticing the new small purple diamond tattoo on her forehead.

"Are you here to insult me? Call me weak again?" she asked, her voice tired.

"Why did you choose to live?"

She didn't know what to say. It had been the last question she had expected from Itachi, but then he seemed to be full of surprises today. She finally recovered.

"There were people I wanted to see. I didn't want to die and leave them behind," she answered quietly.

"Does it matter? You're going to leave them behind eventually," he said coldly.

She looked down at her hands and began to clench her starched blue hospital dress. Her voice was shaky as she spoke, "I know that. I just wanted…I just wanted to stay with them for a little bit longer."

His crimson gaze was heavy. "So you decided to live longer because you were selfish."

She couldn't take it, he was too cold and he was asking her too many questions. It was like he was interrogating her. Her eyes blazed angrily as she glared at him.

"What do you want from me, Itachi?" she demanded angrily.

He was completely silent and had not moved even a single inch at her sharp words. His Sharingan eyes watched her, waiting for a reply she didn't feel he deserved, an answer she hated but she knew was the truth. He pressed and pressed because he had to hear it from her.

"**Yes! Yes, I'm selfish for wanting to live and stay with my precious people forever!**"

Her breaths were coming in gasps and he had made her cry again. He had made her so angry, made her scream and sob and want to hide away from the rest of the world.

Was this what he had wanted to hear? He didn't even know why he had pushed her, but he had needed to hear it, needed some kind of confirmation that she hadn't decided to live only for _him-_

"Are you happy, Itachi?" she asked, her chest heaving in rage. "Are you happy now?"

And suddenly, he kissed her.

Her hands beat against his chest as she tried to push him off, tried to make him leave but he held onto her. His hand threaded into her hair and she hit him, again and again but there was no power behind her hits. The kiss was salty and bittersweet and she stopped hitting him, losing herself in him.

When they broke apart, she expected him to leave again like he always did whenever things grew too serious, too intense between them. He stayed and she didn't know if she wanted him to. He was watching her, as if he were trying to figure her out and there were a hundred conflicting emotions in his eyes. Sakura's breaths were still coming in short spurts and she wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his neck.

"I want to live," she sobbed, "I want to stay with everyone forever and make sure that none of them ever die-"

She was trembling against his body.

She was trembling against his body and he kept his hands on her waist, simply because he didn't know where else to put them. He stood still and let her sob against him.

* * *

"He's alive, Naruto, and she knew about it this whole time," Sasuke hissed angrily.

Naruto spat at him, "She _loves _him, you asshole, of course she'd protect him."

Sasuke snapped, "It's an unreasonable love, that bastard is trying to _kill _you. You're an idiot if you still want to stay her friend."

Naruto's fists were balled into fists and in a low, dangerous voice he said, "You…you don't care about what she wants."

His head rose and his blazing blue eyes met Sasuke's, "You don't care about her at all!"

Sasuke said nothing at all, his mouth set in a firm line. He made no attempt to deny it and it was then that Naruto realized that he had just spoken the truth. He punched Sasuke as hard as he could and there was a crack as he dislocated his jaw. Sasuke stumbled, trying to regain his balance and glared back at Naruto.

"She loved you, she loved you so much that she would have died for you, she would have become a missing-nin for your sake-"

"I never asked her to!" Sasuke shouted back, angry now.

"Is this all because of your eye?" Naruto demanded.

Another silence fell and it told him all he needed to know.

"It is, isn't it?" his voice was quieter now, "You hate her because she couldn't save your eye and she had to give you one of mine-"

"Shut up, shut up, _shut up-_"

"She never forgave herself, Sasuke."

Sasuke's entire body was tense, his nails biting into the palms of his hands. They made half moon cuts in his skin and blood was beginning to run out of them as his chest rose and fell at a rapid, loud pace. His onyx eye was as unreadable as ever, but his cerulean one was filled with anger, frustration and confusion.

He couldn't take it anymore. He left Naruto.

* * *

There was a knock at the door and I looked at it inquisitively as it opened. At first, I thought it was Deidara from the tall blonde ponytail but then realized it was Ino. She was dressed in the medic uniform and stopped when she saw me.

"Sakura? Why are you still here?" Ino asked in surprise.

My brow furrowed and I questioned, "Why wouldn't I be here?"

Ino winced slightly but then elaborated, "Well…I mean, I saw your team at the gates this morning. I thought you'd be with them, since they're going to Sound and all."

"My team is going to Sound without me?" I demanded.

Ino whitened and said quietly, "Sakura, you didn't know?"

I instantly threw off my covers and wobbled uncertainly from not having been on my feet for a long time. Ino ran over to help steady me and told me, "If you haven't been asked to go then Tsunade-sama probably thinks you're not well enough."

"I'm well enough, damn it!" I snarled angrily.

Ino tried to hold me back but I broke out of her grip, heading towards the window. I jumped through it and could see her clearly speaking into a headset- probably alerting everyone that I had escaped from the hospital. I made a beeline for my house and changed quickly out of the hospital clothing into my standard ninja wear.

"You know…you're the one who's normally dragging me to the hospital. It's nice to see you've had a change of heart," a cheery, familiar voice said.

I spun around immediately, meeting Kakashi. His eye was crinkled with the same artificial happiness Sai had and I glared at him. I pointed a finger at him and snapped, "I don't care what you say, I'm going to Sound. I'll fight you if I have to, you can't keep me from going."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kakashi jumped down from the windowsill he was crouched on and landed on my wooden flooring without a sound, "Though, Tsunade-hime might be a different matter entirely…"

"I'm going with my team, no matter what," I said firmly.

I waited for Kakashi to do something and eventually, he sighed, running a hand through his spiky silver hair.

"I see. Well…if you want…I can negotiate something with Godaime-sama," Kakashi suggested slyly.

My eyes narrowed. He would never go out of his way to help anyone if it made things complicated for him. I asked in a flat tone, "What's the catch?"

"Catch? My dear Sakura, I'm disappointed that you think so lowly of me. I'm simply doing this for my favourite student," he said, his mask pulling taut as he smiled and his eye crinkled again.

Now I was really suspicious, but I didn't have the time. If agreeing meant that he would leave me alone and prevent me from fighting him, then I'd say yes. I told him quickly, "Fine."

He nodded once and left in a poof of smoke.

I finished packing the dark green duffel bag Sasuke had given me so long ago, the 'Sexy Ninja' patch completely intact. I ran my fingers over the patch. It must have belonged to a relative of Sasuke's, he would never put such a thing on his bag…

I sobered suddenly as I realized the owner was probably dead.

The bag bounced on the bed as I put it down on the edge, turning away to get more clothes. My head cracked up suddenly as it fell off and scattered everything I had just packed all over the floor. With a loud, frustrated groan, I returned to it and began to pick up my stuff, throwing it onto the bed half heartedly so I could repack.

When I went to pick up the bag, it caught on something. As I inspected it further, it had caught on a rusty nail that protruded from the bottom of my bed. I tried to untangle the fibres from where it had caught on the metal, but for the next two minutes I had little success.

I grew frustrated. I already needed to repack everything and leave before Kakashi came back, now my bag was giving me a hard time?

I yanked it sharply and froze as it ripped loudly. I swore as the bag came free and hurriedly began to look over what I had just done.

What was this? The gaping tear revealed a hidden pocket inside the bag, one I had never seen before. I opened the pocket further and pulled out two small envelopes, along with a scroll.

They were all old and yellowed. Written on one in formal script were the words _Uchiha Itachi, ANBU Captain of Team 15, _whereasthe other one had _Itachi _written on it in a much messier scrawl. The scroll was sealed with a wax seal in the shape of a Mangekyou Sharingan. I looked at them with narrowed eyes.

Why were two letters addressed to Itachi and a Sharingan scroll in a bag that _Sasuke _had given me? He would have burned anything that had belonged to Itachi in a heartbeat, I was sure, unless…unless he hadn't known…

Just what was in these letters? And who had the bag belonged to?

I stared at the letters and scroll and swallowed thickly. Should I give them to Itachi? They could be potentially dangerous to Konoha, especially the scroll if a powerful jutsu was in there. I picked up the letter with Itachi's full name and stared at it doubtfully.

I shoved it into the bag quickly. I didn't have the time for this now, I'd sort it out once I met up with everybody else. Swearing inwardly, I realized that I'd have to sew the bag back to normal, but it didn't actually make a hole. I slung it over my shoulder and jumped out of the window, landing heavily on my feet. Wincing slightly, I continued running through the city towards the gates.

I could see the gate now and ran faster, if I went at full speed then maybe I could catch up with them in a day or so. A tall scarecrow shadow was cast on the ground in front of me and although I knew what it meant, I ran straight past it.

"You weren't thinking about going without me, were you?" an annoying voice questioned from my right.

"What do you want?" I spat at him irritably.

"Tsunade-sama was busy so I couldn't talk. I've decided to come and keep an eye on you," he explained happily.

"I don't need a baby sitter," I growled at him.

He shrugged and said, "Well, you're hardly in a position to be travelling all the way to Sound on your own with your chakra levels."

Kakashi smiled and matched my pace easily. I was suffering from severe chakra depletion after using Souzou Sansei and couldn't run any faster. It was probably stupid to think that I could break out of Konoha on my own without any chakra at all against the full guard of ANBU that were at the gates. Not that I cared very much, I just needed to find a way to get to Deidara, Itachi and Kisame…

"Ah, fine! Just stay out of my way."

"Of course, my number one student."

* * *

In another team, closer to Sound, Sasuke was inwardly seething. Had he been played for a fool? It seemed that everyone but him had known Itachi was back, had they been keeping the information from him on purpose? His hand twitched as murderous intent began to manifest within his chest, itching for his kunai.

- **run, run and cling to life **_and his gaze had been blood red but emotionless as he stood in the streets of the now dead district for the last time as a respected Uchiha – _

Sasuke would kill him. He'd draw out his pain and suffering, to make him suffer like he had, to make him beg for mercy until he finally ended it. And then Sasuke would enjoy every second of it. The clan would have their revenge. And this time it would be by Sasuke's hand and Sasuke's hand only that Uchiha Itachi finally died.

But first he had to take care of Orochimaru.

Meanwhile, Kisame sighed and glanced at Itachi and Deidara running beside him. They had to travel with a couple of other teams, which meant their speed had been restricted and he was thoroughly bored. He just wanted to get to Sound already so he could fight, he was itching for one after the last big battle. But, with the standard of Konoha's jounins as it was, it didn't seem he'd be there anytime soon.

Deidara looked pissed off, either because Sakura wasn't with them or because he wasn't allowed to fly Kisame didn't know, but he was almost certain it was the first. Sakura had been in the hospital for less than a week for using a jutsu that had healed her, though Kisame really couldn't see why.

Deidara and Kisame didn't understand Souzou Sansei at all; to them it was just another jutsu. They knew scarcely anything of kinjutsu and didn't know the toll it would take on Sakura. Itachi did not know what Souzou Sansei was specifically, but he had heard enough of Tsunade and Sakura's conversation to make a rough guess. A strange, unexpected sense of relief had filled him when he heard she was staying behind.

"Damn it, this is _really _pissing me off, yeah," Deidara exploded finally.

"You think you're the only one," Kisame muttered darkly, "these Leaf ninjas are pathetic."

"Argh, I wish Sakura was here. She'd at least make it interesting, yeah," Deidara groaned.

Kisame rolled his eyes and said smartly, "You'd like that wouldn't you."

Deidara shot him a withering glare and Kisame grinned back at him knowingly. Itachi's eyes flickered to the artist for a split second before reverting back to the path ahead, his gaze trained on the leading ninja. He subtly quickened his pace, leaving the two oblivious ninjas behind.

* * *

It started with a hall of mirrors, each a reflection of myself with a hundred thousand differences, a hundred thousand different stories. In a big one, I was standing with Naruto dressed in Hokage robes, in the next I was the one wearing the robes and in the one afterwards I was kissing Sasuke on the cheek with a smile on my face. In a smaller one, I could make out Shino and me hugging in the one beside it and in another one I was standing with Kiba.

I began to figure out what the mirrors meant, they were showing me different paths my life could take. There were too many though and they were overwhelming. They stifled me and I instinctively began to run towards the other end of the hall, looking for an exit. I hit a dead end but that wasn't what shocked me.

I stood in front of the biggest mirror of them all.

The picture in it animated and came to life, but it was painful to watch. I couldn't bring myself to look away though and stared helplessly as another Sakura walked alongside Itachi. She was smiling as she spoke with him and he although he didn't say much in response, he seemed content in her presence. Then she threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing through the hall, and I wanted to know what they were talking about, what had made her laugh. The beginnings of a small smirk pulled at the corners of Itachi's mouth and she stopped to kiss the corner of his lips gently.

I turned around and ran the other way, hearing her laughter reverberate off the walls and suddenly all the mirrors around me were no longer showing other possibilities. They only showed one, they only showed me and Itachi and I knew it would never, _never _happen and I didn't want to see it-

I was stopped by another huge mirror and looked into it, half afraid of what I'd see. It was another scene but it confused me and I didn't know how to react when I watched it play out.

It was of Deidara and me, holding hands. He looked miffed and embarrassed, but another Sakura walked with him, swinging their hands in a childish manner. He said something that made her frown and she snatched her hand away angrily. Then Deidara laughed and kissed her on the forehead, then on the cheek and then on the mouth. She began to calm down and returned the kiss, their fingers threading through one another's again. They broke apart and she was _glowing_ with happiness.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the scene of Itachi and me playing on permanent repeat on the other side of the hall. Was I meant to choose between Deidara and Itachi?

I immediately ran for the other end, towards Itachi but then hearing Deidara's voice made me hesitate. I looked back at the image of Deidara and I and walked back towards it again, slowly. The smile on my face was genuine and so happy, I looked back at the one of me and Itachi and the smile was more subdued. Where did I go? What was I meant to do?

Doubt settled into my chest. I had thought that if I had ever had to choose between Deidara and Itachi that the answer would be Itachi in a heartbeat but now…now I wasn't so sure. I tore my eyes away from Deidara and Itachi and instead stared at a mirror directly in front of me.

My reflection stared back at me.

"…kura-chan? Sakura-chan?" a grating voice broke through the dream like sunlight and I jolted awake, my chest heaving up and down.

I ran my fingers through my hair and glanced up at Kakashi. His only onyx eye was widened slightly and he drew his hand away tentatively from where it rested on my shoulder. As I avoided his gaze, he stood up and turned. With a jerk of his head, he gestured for us to leave again and after a long minute, I followed him.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Underneath the Man**

"_**Itachi, damn it, just let her heal you!" **_

But the letter had never reached Itachi. If he had received the letter in my hands now…would the massacre have taken place?

"_What the hell did you do to her, Uchiha?! You didn't have to fucking attack her, you bastard!"_

"**You will not tell anyone."**

* * *

**S.O.S. SELANDORA! We don't understand the story!  
****(Crap, don't ask me! Neither do I-)**

**What's with the quote from Naruto at the top?  
**Yes, I think explanation is needed. Sakura wants to do anything possible to go after Itachi and Deidara (which ties in with Naruto's 'if my arms get torn off I'll kick him to death' stuff) because she really wants to be with them and help them (which ties in with 'I'll get Sasuke back no matter what!' because at the end of the day, they really just want to be with their precious people.)

**Why's Kisame so insightful and mature? He was completely different in Defining Evil.  
**Um, yes, this is the result of very bad planning, or rather, a lack of it. Any future aspiring ffnet writers, REMEMBER TO PLAN. You get into stupid messes like the one I'm in right now if you don't.

H'okay, let me explain this. In defining evil, I rushed into things and didn't properly think about each individual character. It was probably because I read so many awesome itasaku fics and I really wanted to make my own. It was only with defining duty that I sat down and thought, "Holy crap, I completely did Itachi/Kisame/Deidara wrong. What was I smoking when I was writing Defining Evil?"

Wait, I still haven't finished answering the question. If you think about it, Kisame is easily the oldest member of Akatsuki (minus Madara) and he's always shown as a polite guy who respects people, especially Itachi. It's only when he gets into fights he becomes this loud brash guy.

**Holy crap, please don't turn this ending into another Never Ending Rainfall. I'll kill you if you do.  
**Don't worry, I will too. Sakura _does _have to make a choice at the end of it all, ladies and gentlemen.

**Hmm, how come Deidara's suddenly getting all these big romantic scenes with Sakura? Is he going to win her over?  
**Chee, just wait a minute. Itachi's big scenes are coming. He's going to have like five chapters of them with Sakura, I swear, so I need to compensate with Deidara right now. I made an accident though and had to rewrite two chapters (oh God, the agony. I'm still not done with the second one) and unfortunately had to push back another big itasaku scene. Then suddenly my hands began typing on their own and I came up with a _gigantic_ deisaku scene which Itachi's going to have a hard time beating.

**Are Deidara and Itachi going to have their fight eventually?  
**That's a secret. (This means that the author is still undecided.)

**Wait a second, wait a second. Why's Itachi alive in Defining Duty anyways? What happened to him in Defining Evil?!  
**Oops, I should have explained that. Deidara met Sakura before Itachi was executed and he gave her a bird (God, I hate that scene- Deidara is so _wrong_. I'm rewriting that story once DD is done). Itachi had planned that out because he knew that Sakura would find a way to see him again. So, Sakura went and saw him in his cell secretly and the bird Deidara gave  
her slipped in with her. It was left behind when Naruto told her to get going and then the guards changed shifts.

The captain of the ANBU squad holding Itachi was the next guy on duty, so Itachi knocked on the door pretending he needed to go to the loo (there's something so weird about putting Itachi and loo together in the same sentence-) and the bird flew out. It was a weak explosive and knocked out the guy. This is where Pein helped, he can perform the body transformation jutsu so he disguised the captain as Itachi and Itachi as the captain. The execution took place except the captain was executed in Itachi's place.

**How old **_**is **_**Sakura?  
**Nineteen. Deidara is 23, Itachi is 25 and Kisame is 32.

**Why didn't Itachi protect Sakura instead of Deidara?  
**Itachi does trust Sakura to some extent. She knows way too much about him and she's kept her mouth shut so far, so that's got to count. He trusts her to stay alive, and if she doesn't then he knows Deidara will do everything in his power to protect her. Plus, he has a reputation to protect.

**Which Naruto pairing do you like the best, Selandora?  
**I feel a bit like a traitor to DD, but I absolutely _love _narusaku. My next story is going to be a narusakusasu called Say, but if you haven't read the recent Naruto chapters it's going to be really spoilerish. Even though I've said I hate Sasuke and complain how annoying love triangles are, it's just been killing me not to write it. But, I like writing deisaku. It's more fun. I've been writing itasaku for a while now so I think I'm done with it for a while.

**There was an anime con in Hong Kong and I wasn't here. : (  
**"Alright, just tell me what you want and I'll try and get it for you."  
"Okay, okay. I want a Naruto frog wallet, a Lavi from D. Gray-Man plushie, a D. Gray-Man poster, a Kon from Bleach plushie, a Konoha Missing-nin hitai-ate and any pins you can find from The World Ends With You, a keyring of Haruhi Suzumiya and the dude with her, and any other pins of animes that I know and like and if they have any posters of Ikuta Toma or Nishikido Ryo you _have _to get them, if you get me anything with Sasuke on it I will fucking kill you but I'll gladly rape you if it's Itachi or Deidara-"  
"I'll write a list."  
- me and JJ

**Selandora (is kind of eating lunch right now. OH! By the way, she had her birthday on Monday, so now she's 15.)**


	13. Chapter 13 : Underneath the Man

Chapter 13: Underneath the Man

**Chapter 13: Underneath the Man**

_One more kiss could be the best thing  
__But one more lie could be the worst  
__And all these thoughts are never resting  
__You're not something I deserve  
_- Let Me Go by Three Doors Down

* * *

Kakashi slept like a log and I took advantage of this time to read the letters in my pack. Still, I was overly cautious and opened one of the letters with the Hokage's seal on it very quietly. It rustled slightly as I pulled it out of its yellowing envelope.

_Uchiha Itachi,_

_I am incredibly sorry for what Danzou has put you through and Shisui has already informed me of everything that has come to pass. I hereby relieve you of your mission to spy on the Uchiha clan. We are planning to negotiate with your family and see if we can dissuade them from rebelling against Konoha. If your role as a spy is revealed, we are prepared to offer you sanctuary in Whirlpool Country._

_Thank you for your work,  
__Sandaime_

What was this? The Uchiha Clan had never rebelled against Konoha, I had read all the files and I knew that, they had always worked in Konoha's best interests. And Itachi…he had killed the Uchiha clan, he hadn't been spying on them.

But this had the Sandaime Hokage's seal. It had to be legitimate, but what did it mean? The Uchiha Clan had been planning a rebellion and Itachi had been hired to spy on them. Danzou was somehow involved and so was Shisui, the man everyone believed Itachi had killed.

This had to be true. Then that meant everyone had everything wrong, it meant that Itachi had been acting in the village's interests. It meant he had been a good guy all along, but what had he discovered that was so dangerous to Konoha that he _had _to kill the Uchiha clan?

This was a letter saying he could stop spying on the Uchiha Clan, saying that he should just let the Hokage handle it…

But the letter had never reached Itachi.

If he had received the letter in my hands now…would the massacre have taken place?

I put the letter away, hiding it in my bag. I didn't want to look at the other letter and the scroll. I was scared of what I would find.

* * *

As Deidara sprung from a tree and threw his kunai with a well practiced flick of the wrist, they thudded into the necks of the ninjas approaching him. On the other side of the forest battleground, Itachi was locked in a taijutsu battle against three other ninjas. He saw his chance and kicked viciously at one of their necks, hearing it crack, and then broke the spine of one man over his knee. The last ninja remaining punched him in the stomach but Itachi didn't even flinch. Instead, he rammed a kunai into the man's chest.

Kisame saw a Sound ninja standing up in one of the trees. His fingers were flashing through a long series of signals and instantly he grew tense. A jutsu with that many hand signals was never good and he began to run towards the man. By this time, the man had already finished and was taking in a deep breath. He exhaled loudly over the forest and Samehada smashed into his stomach.

An acrid smell filled the clearing and immediately, everybody began to cough. The man had released a colourless poison gas.

Kisame was unaffected, he had always been resistant to poison and he glanced at Itachi as he began to cough painfully. Deidara was leaning against the tree bark, gasping for breath and the other Konoha ninjas weren't doing much better. The Sound ninjas were all fine, even though there were only three of them left, but they had all targeted the medic.

Itachi was at the medic's side, protecting her for some weird reason, and Kisame half heartedly followed him. He could see the medic panicking as she tried to remove her own poison, wincing as she did so.

"I don't think I have enough chakra for everyone," the medic said hysterically, her voice climbing higher and higher in pitch.

Itachi's eyes flicked to her brown ones for a moment and he sighed inwardly. Sakura would never have acted like this, she would have done what she could and even more knowing Sakura until she collapsed from chakra exertion.

Still, this overly emotional girl was all they had right now and she needed to calm down or else she would make a fatal mistake. All of her friends were busy trying to cope with the poison and fighting the remaining ninjas so it seemed that the task had been forced into Itachi's hands.

"Calm down," he told her in a low voice, "or else you won't be able to help anyone at all. Take your poison out and go help your team mates."

She looked up at him with terror stricken eyes, but as he caught a kunai aimed at her and used it to kill the man who had thrown it, she began to gradually relax. He heard her take a deep breath and knew that his job was done, he just hoped she could keep her mouth shut and not blab to everyone that he had helped her.

Kisame had an amused grin on his face and Itachi pointedly avoided his gaze. His partner commented teasingly, "That was very sweet of you, Itachi-san."

"Hm." That meant _screw off before I mutilate you into tiny little pieces and feed you to Deidara's birds._

Kisame's grin spread wider and he added, "Haruno must be rubbing off on you."

This was a sentence Itachi ignored to the best of his ability and he killed the last Sound ninja with more force than was necessary. The medic began to run to her team mates, drawing the poison out and Itachi took in a deep breath.

The breath caught in his throat and he began to cough violently, covering his mouth with his hand as he did so. He stumbled away from Kisame and pressed his back against a tree as the blood began to trickle out of his mouth. His chest felt like it was collapsing inwards and crushing his lungs, crushing his heart. Kisame grabbed his arms and yelled for the medic to come over.

He couldn't let them know. He couldn't let the medic know about his illness, she would tell the Hokage and Madara would find out and it would all be over, everything would be finished-

As her hands reached for him, he forced them away and tried to stop coughing. The more he tried to suppress them, the more acute the pain became and he could barely hear the people around him. The medic tried to heal him again but he fought against her, refusing to let her near his chest.

"Itachi, damn it, just let her heal you," Kisame growled at his partner.

"You have to get him to stop struggling, the poison will spread faster," the medic told Kisame nervously and the shark man tried his best to restrain Itachi. He forced Itachi to his knees and pushed him against the tree, the poison had made the Sharingan Master weaker but he was still giving Kisame a run for his money.

"No," Itachi snarled, "no-"

"Hatake-san? Haruno-san? What are you doing here?" a surprised voice said loudly.

"Oh, nothing really, we just decided to tag along…" Kakashi said nonchalantly and Itachi could hear the crunch of leaves as somebody approached them at a hurried pace.

It was _her_ chakra, he could place it anywhere. It swirled like an eel in a barrel of water, gliding gracefully through the water and the medic stepped aside as she informed Sakura what had happened.

"He won't let me heal him at all and he's been poisoned-"

"Thanks, I'll take it from here," Sakura said and the medic went away to go finish healing her other team mates.

Sakura and Kisame exchanged a look and he slowly released Itachi. He went to speak with Deidara and Sakura kneeled down in front of Itachi, silently. She reached out a hand imbued with chakra and Itachi visibly tensed as she grew closer.

She would find out if she healed him, she would know he was dying. She already knew too much, she knew he had been blind, she knew he could see now and she knew he was looking for something in the Uchiha District. She was forcing her way into his life and he should have fought against her, he should have _killed _her for all the information she had but-

Her hand touched the side of his neck. Her chakra slipped over his skin like silk and began to seep into his throat, warming it like wine. He could feel her other hand on his shoulder, ready to restrain him if need be, but for some strange reason he didn't feel like struggling at all.

Kakashi saw this all take place out of the corner of his eye. It was alarming that someone like Uchiha Itachi had let anybody near his neck. To a ninja, the neck was one of the most vulnerable places on their body and nobody liked letting anybody near it. He had let her close without fighting her at all which meant that he _trusted_ Sakura. He frowned slightly in disapproval.

"I'm going to draw out the poison now. It might hurt a bit," Sakura murmured to Itachi.

He said nothing and watched her quietly, taking in the way her brow furrowed and she bit her lip in concentration. She pulled her hand away from his throat and thought that she had made a mistake. The poison within the extraction bubble was meant to be colourless, she had seen the other medic pulling it out, but the liquid inside her bubble was a dark, crimson red. It was blood.

The other ninjas hadn't been bleeding internally from the poison, it had just filled their lungs with more and more white fluid as time passed until eventually they couldn't breathe and died. This was completely wrong, Itachi wasn't meant to be bleeding, but that could only mean he was sick with something else-

As her shocked eyes drifted up to meet his, he returned her gaze with one of his own. It was almost as if he were waiting for her to do something and his crimson eyes looked so weary, as if he was tired of everything.

"You will not tell anyone," he said in a quiet murmur.

It was almost a question, almost trust because he trusted her more than anyone in the world, almost as much as Shisui. Sakura somehow knew this and realized that she would never be able to stop loving him, even if the world ended, even if she had to kill him for Konoha.

This was a side of Itachi she had never seen before. This was the man disguised underneath the long silences and the black Akatsuki cloak. His red eyes seemed almost haunted, as if he had seen too much too early and he just wanted it all to end.

She nodded because she couldn't bring herself to say anything. A lump had formed in her throat and she began to remove the bloodied poison. Behind her, the medic had started healing Deidara but Deidara never once looked at the girl, he was watching Sakura and Itachi with narrowed eyes.

Sakura removed all of the poison but she began to diagnose his other sickness. He coughed and lifted a hand to his mouth, but she grabbed it before he could hide the blood on it. She then began to send her chakra into his lungs, trying to find out what was wrong and he continued watching her.

He already knew what was wrong, but he didn't feel he should tell her. It was then he realized that Sakura knew more about him than any other person in the world. She was a threat to him, if she told anybody about his sickness his plan would be ruined and everything he had worked for would be for nothing.

She gasped as her chakra came into contact with the walls of his lungs. She knew his chakra well, a calm dark chakra, but this was _different_. There was another chakra that had seeped deep inside of the walls of his lungs and lodged there, an evil crimson chakra that she knew like the back of her hand. It was the Kyuubi's chakra and it was eating away at his lungs.

What could she do? How did you extract chakra?

She bit viciously down on her lip and moulded her chakra around the crimson chakra. Then slowly, she began to try to pull the chakra out-

Itachi tensed immediately. The evil chakra squeezed his lungs tightly and began to destroy the lining of his lungs, Sakura removed her chakra immediately as he began to cough violently. His breath rasped in his throat and she could hear the blood rattling in his chest as he inhaled and exhaled.

She made to apologize but his eyes flashed quickly as he noticed Deidara walking towards them. Itachi stood up and brushed himself off and Sakura followed suit, turning to face the blonde artist.

Deidara glared at Itachi and put an arm around Sakura's waist, protectively pulling her close to him. There was something in Itachi's eyes that told her he didn't really want her there anymore and she went quietly with Deidara.

* * *

"What's with the purple diamond, yeah?" Deidara asked me as we sat together around the fire.

It was night time and my turn to take guard. Everyone was sleeping except for him and me. He had chosen to stay awake and sit with me, but he had just brushed it off by saying he couldn't sleep. I touched the diamond on my forehead self consciously and traced my fingertips over it.

"It's a side effect of the jutsu I used to heal myself," I told him, trying to avoid the details.

"That's a pretty handy jutsu, yeah, but you should have used it earlier," he grumbled, his face going pink with embarrassment at the confession.

I realized he didn't know what Souzou Sansei really was and for some reason, I didn't want to tell him. He was always looking out for me and even though it felt really good to have someone worrying about you, I didn't want him to worry anymore than he had to.

"I'm not going to die yet, Ara. You still need to finish paying me," I reminded him and he rolled his eyes.

"You can't count money, woman. I've probably paid for three of those stupid walls, you just keep using it as an excuse to get me to pay for you," he argued.

"Hey, shut up, I'm the one who has to hang out with you all the time. I deserve compensation," I defended myself.

He scoffed, "You think _you _deserve compensation. I swear, you're more trouble than you're worth."

"Well, you're not worth anything," I snapped and he shook his head in disbelief at the terrible comeback.

"I met a four year old who had better comebacks, yeah," he stated.

I hit him on the arm and he smirked at me. I clasped my hands together tightly and stared down at them as an awkward silence fell between us.

"You worried about tomorrow?" Deidara asked, he hadn't overlooked the sudden tension.

I shook my head once instinctively but then hesitated. I then nodded and murmured, "Orochimaru…he really screwed Naruto, me and Sasuke's lives up for a long time. And if we win tomorrow and kill him, I don't know what's going to happen to Sasuke and me."

"You and the Uchiha brat?" he asked in surprise, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Don't call him that!" I snapped quickly and then added, "Things have been a bit rough between the two of us lately…especially after all of this…"

"Because of the bastard, yeah," Deidara guessed, jerking a thumb over at the motionless, sleeping form of Itachi.

I shot him a withering glare but refrained from saying anything, it wasn't like he'd stop because I told him to. My eyes dulled gradually as I began to stare at my hands aimlessly, thinking of Sasuke again. Silence fell between the two of us and he cleared his throat.

"Not only that though," I began hesitantly, unsure of whether or not I should tell him.

Deidara glanced at me and waited for me to continue. I continued, "There was a mission a while back and things didn't go well. Something happened and Sasuke was stabbed in the eye and the damage was too serious…I couldn't do anything."

I fell silent again.

- **Sakura, Sasuke's eye, it's **_and Sasuke was nearly hysterical as the blood trickled from his eye like tears and his breaths were sharp and laboured, Naruto was trying to restrain him but -_

"He had two eyes the last time I saw him though," Deidara mused aloud and I nodded.

"Naruto gave one of his eyes to Sasuke because he knew it would destroy Sasuke if he was half blind. I had to do the transplant but I don't think Sasuke ever forgave me for being unable to restore his eye," I murmured.

He scoffed, "Well then the brat's just being stupid. There was no medic in the world that could fix his eye and if he hasn't realized that by now then he's an idiot. It's not your fault, yeah."

His words caused a river of happiness to flood within my bloodstream and it warmed me. Deidara really was an okay guy, more than okay even, and I smiled at him gratefully. He met my gaze and held it for a bit longer than was comfortable. Eventually I looked away first, colour rising to my cheeks.

"So, what's up with you and the Uchiha bastard?" Deidara asked and my brow furrowed at him.

In an offended tone, I questioned, "Were you not listening to anything I said?"

"Not _that _bastard, yeah. I mean the asshole sleeping on the other side of the site," he explained.

"If you just referred to them by their proper names, it would make things much easier," I lectured him in an attempt to change the topic. I really didn't feel like talking to Deidara about Itachi.

He shrugged and said nonchalantly, "The younger one's the Uchiha Brat and the older one's the Uchiha Bastard. It's easier to remember that way."

I rolled my eyes and began, "You are so-"

"Stop changing the topic, woman. Are you two together or what?" he interrupted callously.

My mind went absolutely blank.

After a minute of being unable to string even a simple sentence together, Deidara shifted and he glanced at me through the corner of his right eye. His bronze scope caught the dim traces of moonlight and it gave off a bright glare that made me squint.

"So?" he pressed.

As if he had said a codeword, the lock holding my ability to speak captive was released. I then exclaimed a bit too loudly, if not indignantly, "No!"

He raised an eyebrow at me, as if he really didn't believe me.

"I don't…we don't…Itachi and I aren't together! He's my team mate, that's all he is," I insisted, even though I knew it was a complete and utter lie.

Deidara then asked icily, "Then why are you suddenly calling him Itachi instead of Uchiha-san?"

A tense silence fell.

The look in his eyes, a determined, angry sapphire glint told me he knew that I wasn't telling the truth. But what could I do? Itachi and I definitely weren't together, but what were we? I hadn't the faintest idea and if Itachi's silence could be counted, I didn't think he did either. Not that he'd admit it that he didn't know, being a genius and all.

"I can promise you that Itachi and I are not together," I told him firmly and his gaze steeled.

He still didn't believe me, but he said nothing.

I gave him the truth as far as I was certain.

"Itachi is important to me. Even if he doesn't feel the same way…I'll still do what I can to help him, just like I would you or any of my precious people."

* * *

The next day, an ANBU squadron came early in the morning with Shikamaru at its head. Shikamaru sighed in frustration as he tried to keep Sakura from struggling. Deidara looked about ready to jump in and interfere, whereas Kisame laughed at her and Itachi was silent as usual.

Kakashi shrugged and reasoned with Sakura, "Well, we did sort of go out of Konoha against orders. It only makes sense we'd be brought back now."

She snarled, "Shut _up_, you old man, you told them we were going to be here-"

"You're hardly in any condition to fight. You're still suffering from Souzou Sansei and there's a chance its effects will worsen if you push yourself. Do you want to die so much, Sakura?" Kakashi demanded, his voice suddenly as sharp as a katana.

"Its all for nothing if I'm not allowed to do my job, especially now that the biggest offensive is being launched-"

In a quiet, firm voice, Itachi said, "Sakura."

She looked at him and his Mangekyou suddenly began to swirl. Although she wanted to tear her eyes away from his, her body was no longer hers to control as she began to collapse backwards into Shikamaru. Her eyes were shut as her chest rose and fell, as though she was in a deep sleep. Kakashi instantly turned on Itachi, but Deidara was the one who beat him to it.

Deidara shouted, "What the hell did you do to her, Uchiha?! You didn't have to fucking _attack _her, you bastard!"

"I did not attack her. She is merely unconscious," Itachi explained.

There was a stiff, awkward silence.

"Um…thanks, I guess," Kakashi said as though he didn't quite know what to make of it.

As the Akatsuki members watched them go, Kisame ventured quietly, "What's so bad about Souzou Sansei that they would have to bring Haruno back to Konoha?"

It hadn't escaped Kisame's notice that Itachi and the Konoha nin were being much too careful with Sakura than was necessary. Deidara wasn't totally blind to it either, and from out of the corner of his eye he watched Itachi, waiting for an answer.

"It's kinjutsu," Itachi answered.

Kisame shut his onyx eyes and nodded slightly. Deidara completely forgot that he hated Itachi and turned to face him now, his face white.

"How many years did it take off her life?" Deidara demanded.

Itachi turned and walked towards the rest of the squad that was still waiting for them. Deidara made to grab for Itachi and force the answer out of him, but Kisame stopped him.

"If she hasn't told you anything about it, then she doesn't want you to know," he told him.

- **pretty handy jutsu, you should've used it earlier **_and she had frozen with a smile that only now began to hurt him as she quickly changed the topic _-

Deidara found himself grateful that Itachi had knocked Sakura unconscious.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Shield**

"_I'll do anything if it means protecting Konoha and Naruto! I'll always be a ninja of Konoha first before Haruno Sakura and even if I have to kill them myself, I'll do it!"_

"Itachi, I found something for you."

"**I love you."**

* * *

**Selandoraaa if I buy you stuff from the anime-con, will you answer my questions? (HELL YES.)**

**Didn't Shizune say in Naruto that Souzou Sansei only took a **_**few **_**years off someone's life as opposed to a great whopping decade?  
**…this is called 'artistic license'. ( :

**How was your lunch?  
**That's a very nice thing of you to ask, thank you. It was okay, but it wasn't enough so I went out and bought Yoshinoya (that stuff is magic).

**Sasuke has issues.  
**Yes, he does, and even though a hundred million other people have issues as well he's convinced that his are the most important. GAH. I hate him.

**If you hate him, then why are you planning a sasusaku?  
**…because I'm actually starting to like the pairing again. I know, it's the ultimate betrayal to Itachi, but I can't help it! The new Naruto chapters are corrupting me!

**You said in your author's note that you were finished writing itasaku, so does that mean that this will end up deisaku?  
**Heey, that's a very sneaky question. If I say no, then that means it'll be itasaku and if I say yes then that'll mean it'll be deisaku. I'm not saying anything, but I compliment you on your sneakiness.

**Do you think Kisame has a split personality?  
**Hm, sort of. He completely changes when he fights. : )

**Ahaha, the kiss was salty and bittersweet. Maybe it's cause Sakura didn't brush her teeth after being in hospital for so long?  
**Um, well, actually salty was meant to be her tears and bittersweet made it sound more mysterious. : )

**DID YOU HEAR ABOUT DATTEBAYO?!  
**YES! Holy crap, they've announced they're going to stop subbing Naruto Shippuuden! And, no other subbing team has taken over yet! Okay, since I read the manga, this doesn't really matter to me as much, but I am in love with Naruto's seiyuu and Sasuke's is pretty cool. He plays Uryuu in Bleach as well. (hey I just went off on a tangent again-)

**Hey, shouldn't you be at school today?  
**NO! There was a really bad typhoon (tropical hurricane, whatever you call it) where I was so the teacher's meeting scheduled for Friday was cancelled. And since they needed that teacher's meeting for the first day of school, they were like, "Okay, let's do the teacher's meeting on Monday and push the first day of school back one day."

**I spoke to my friend who went to the anime-con yesterday.  
**"JJ, JJ, JJ, did you go to the anime-con?"  
"Yes-"  
"And did you get everything I asked you to?"  
"No."  
"…what?"  
"They didn't have anything D. Gray-Man."  
"Yeah, but what about Naruto?"  
"Well, I saw the Claymore booth and lined up there first, so by the time I went to the Naruto booth everything was gone."

**Selandora (feels incredibly lazy.)**


	14. Chapter 14 : Shield

"_Shut up. Some people have things they don't want to tell anyone, even if they're __**dying**__!"  
_- Ruka, Last Friends

"_You might not return my feelings…but even so, I love you. But I want to support you. No matter how you change, I want to stay by your side! I don't want to lose you!"  
_- Last Friends

* * *

"Kisame, incoming!"

He instinctively jumped out of the way as a shower of white birds fell from the sky and simultaneously exploded. Deidara soared above Kisame at a safer level, watching the fight as opposed to taking a major part in it. Using the resulting smoke to his advantage, Kisame wove through it and killed three ninjas soundlessly- he was after all from Mist and used to fog.

Deidara scanned the field for another Akatsuki cloak. Kisame was taking down ninjas right and left with every terrifying swing of Samehada, but Deidara couldn't see Itachi anywhere. His eyes snapped to the drab stone gates that surrounded Sound as there was a loud bang.

Konoha had broken through the wall, he could see ninjas forcing their way through a gigantic hole in it.

He nosedived immediately and Kisame ducked as the bird went roaring over his head, the wind rippling through his cloak. Swearing, he began to follow Deidara because damn it, he didn't want Leader on his ass if Deidara went and got himself killed.

The bird suddenly seemed to stretch in an attempt to become more streamlined as Deidara leaned forwards as the bird shot towards the hole in the wall. It barrel rolled in the air, avoiding projectiles, and shot through the wall easily. The bird slowed until it was hovering over the battlefield and Deidara swooped over the ninjas, throwing kunai and explosives as he went. Kisame fought his way over to the area Deidara hovered above and the artist smirked down at him.

"Look who finally showed up," Deidara shouted down to him.

"Do you think you can fight on the ground without Haruno healing you every few seconds?" Kisame jeered, ripping through another ninja's chest as he did so with Samehada.

Deidara took the bait readily and landed on the ground beside Kisame, careful to avoid Samehada. He pulled a kunai from his pouch and pressed his back against Kisame's.

"You're getting old, fish man. I'm probably going to have to save your ass."

"We'll see who needs whose ass saving in a minute, brat."

Itachi wasn't fighting with his team mates. He had slipped through the wall even before it had been broken through and was headed towards the Sound kage's Tower. Any ninjas who had seen him had been killed on the spot and it was impossible for any civilian to see him at the speed he was moving.

The blue grey tower came into sight and he scaled the walls as quietly as possible up to the top floor. Using the metal of his slashed forehead protector to see through a window without revealing himself, he found that Orochimaru was surrounded by three ninjas. He formed a complicated genjutsu around them so that they wouldn't interfere with what he was about to do.

Orochimaru's subordinates went uncannily still and he glanced up at them, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He immediately left his desk as he heard the window open quietly, pulling out a kunai and falling into a defensive position. The man he saw before him surprised him greatly and he even let out a startled laugh.

"I was actually expecting your brother," he confessed with an unsettling smile that was far too wide, revealing too many teeth.

Itachi didn't even bother to grace him with a reply and as Orochimaru watched, Itachi's body seemed to crumble away like a broken wall. It decomposed into grey dust that swirled around the room and Itachi was nowhere to be seen.

"You can't hide behind genjutsu, Itachi-san," he taunted.

The dust formed midnight ravens that began to circle him in a dizzying race. The rustle of a cloak caught his attention and he turned immediately to block a hit from the Sharingan master. Itachi disappeared into the wall of ravens again and struck at Orochimaru again and again.

Orochimaru let out a quiet gasp as Itachi slashed across his right arm. Orochimaru made a few hand signals and snakes began slipping out of his sleeves and his mouth. They began attacking the ravens that turned into air once they were bitten and he pushed through a hole in the line.

Itachi immediately delivered a roundhouse kick to his head and Orochimaru blocked it with two hands, leaving his back open. Tearing his foot away from Orochimaru's grasp, Itachi kicked him powerfully on his back and Orochimaru flew across the room. He hit the wall hard enough to make it crack and he stood up shakily, licking his lips.

"_I don't know where you are right now, but your brother just arrived. You might want to stay away from him," _Kisame warned Itachi through the earpiece.

Itachi stiffened and Orochimaru noticed. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he rushed Itachi who was put on the defensive as he blocked blow after blow. A terrifying light lit up Orochimaru's eyes and Itachi pushed against him roughly, flooring him with a quick sweep kick. A thin stream of blood began to run from the scar underneath Itachi's left eye and he ignored it.

Itachi grunted as he was pushed back and grabbed Orochimaru's wrist to block an oncoming kunai. He then snatched at his other wrist and activated his Mangekyou Sharingan when Orochimaru made the mistake of meeting his eyes in the metal of the kunai.

"_Mangekyou Sharingan: The Art of Mind Torture."_

Orochimaru froze, his eyes glazed over with genjutsu. The kunai dropped from his hands at Itachi's feet and the Sharingan Master stared at the dark metal for a long time. His reflection stared back at him and the kunai seemed to beckon for him to pick it up and end Orochimaru's life.

And then, he said to nobody at all, "His life isn't mine to take."

His Akatsuki ring suddenly began to glow as a message from Pein was projected into the heads of every member. _"You are all to return to Konoha immediately, regardless of any orders from Konoha ninjas."_

Back at the battlefield, Deidara was halfway through creating a second bird for Itachi and Kisame to ride on. Kisame was standing over him, just in case an enemy ninja decided to sneak up on them while Deidara was preparing their getaway. Since Deidara wouldn't be able to ride both of the birds and control them, he had to make sure one of them was programmed to head towards Konoha which took chakra and a lot of effort.

"Where's Itachi, yeah?" Deidara asked Kisame, a sweat breaking over his brow as he fed his chakra into the clay bird.

"He should be on his way," he replied and Deidara stood up, having finished the bird.

Deidara boarded his bird and explained to Kisame, "The bird steers itself. Ja."

* * *

My eyes flickered open and there was a loud exaggerated sigh besides me.

"So, sleeping beauty is finally awake," the most annoying voice I have ever heard said mockingly.

I shot up, ready to kill the silver haired man sitting in a chair beside my hospital bed. Hospital bed? Wait, why was I in the hospital?

"Tsunade-sama had you hospitalized since using all that chakra to heal Itachi-san and the other ninjas damaged your pathways. The treatment's finished so you can leave if you want," Kakashi explained.

"You…you bastard," I snarled at him.

He shrugged and said, "Don't get mad at me. Itachi-san was the one who knocked you unconscious."

- **Sakura **_and I had instantly looked at him as the onyx pinwheels spun in a sky of dark red _-

"That bastard," I hissed under my breath.

"It's nice to know you're capable of using that swear word, but a little originality wouldn't hurt," Kakashi commented and I glared at him.

He was unmoved by it however and continued, "By the way, your team is coming back to Konoha."

That shocked me. "What?"

"Their leader got angry because Tsunade-sama didn't ask him first if she could send them out to Sound. All of Akatsuki have been called back to Konoha, so we're screwed if they decide to turn on us once the war is over," he filled me in.

"And Naruto?" I demanded.

Kakashi waved his hand dismissively and said, "He's fine. Akatsuki doesn't know where he is. Anyways, that's not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to talk to you about your team…or more specifically, Itachi-san and Deidara-san."

My blood ran cold. This was a confrontation I had been dreading and I instinctively put on a poker face, not betraying anything. I waited for him to continue in silence.

His face hardened and his onyx eye grew intense. This was the real Kakashi now, the Kakashi that had been at the forefront of ANBU, the child prodigy capable of countless jutsus and cold blooded killing.

"We both know there's no way they won't attack Konoha for Naruto. Not now, but eventually they will," Kakashi began, "When that time comes, will you be able to fight against them for Naruto and Konoha? Regardless of any of the Akatsuki members you need to fight?"

His eyes were uncannily intense as he asked me the one question I had been dreading. "Will you be able to kill Itachi or Deidara?"

My voice froze in my throat and I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Even though I maybe, probably, really did love Itachi and Deidara was too close to me for us to just be friends, I-

Kakashi sighed disappointedly and leaned back in his chair. He asked, "You can't, can you?"

"Shut up."

How could he…how could he _presume_ all of these things?

I shouted, "I'll do anything if it means protecting Konoha and Naruto! I'll always be a ninja of Konoha first before Haruno Sakura and even if I have to kill them myself, I'll do it!"

His voice was uncannily calm. "Then there is no problem."

It was as though another mask had slipped on over Kakashi as he smiled beneath navy blue fabric. He was no longer the intimidating ex-ANBU member, he was simply Kakashi-sensei now and he patted me on the shoulder.

"Get well soon, Sakura."

* * *

"There is nothing to worry about. Sakura won't let her relationship with Akatsuki get in the way if we ever need to defend ourselves," Kakashi informed Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully and dismissed him without another word more.

There was a definite shortage of ninjas in Konoha. Genin were running around doing chuunin duties, chuunin were running around acting for jounin and the handful of jounin that _were _there were overworked.

Which was exactly why Kakashi was performing silly little tasks like greeting the Akatsuki members.

"Welcome back. Where's the rest of your team?" he greeted Deidara at the gates.

Deidara turned and rounded on Kakashi. His eyes narrowed and he demanded, "Where's Sakura?"

"My, aren't you the angry one," Kakashi commented and this prompted Deidara to glare at him.

Kakashi shrugged and said, "I'm not sure actually. She was in the hospital half an hour ago but she's been discharged."

Deidara swore under his breath and immediately walked past Kakashi. A hand darted out and gripped him surprisingly tightly around the arm, causing him to stop in surprise.

Kakashi's smile was blatantly fake and his onyx eye held a warning. His voice was deceptively light but there was an order within it, "Don't go see Sakura now. She needs to be alone right now."

- **it's kinjutsu **_and he was angry because she hadn't told him anything at all and _why had Itachi known before him? -

Deidara snatched his arm away, scowling angrily. Digging a hand into his pouch of clay, he formed a small bird which he released into the sky. It grew bigger and he leaped onto it. Everything was pissing him off right now and all he wanted to do was see Sakura.

Itachi and Kisame approached Kakashi, having heard his warning already. They had entered through the gates while Deidara and Kakashi were talking.

Kakashi said jovially, "Welcome back, you two."

For a split second, Itachi and Kakashi's gazes met.

Kakashi's eyes were full of warning. _Stay away from her._

As Itachi brushed past Kakashi, he murmured quietly, "Thank you, Hatake-san."

* * *

There was a knock at my bedroom door and I looked up instinctively, going over to unlock it. A small genin child stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking incredibly nervous as he avoided my gaze.

He fidgeted as he informed me, "Haruno-san, your team has arrived in Konoha."

"Thank you," I murmured and the boy ran away.

The knock at the window startled me and I turned around suddenly. Just as the boy had said, there was Deidara and I immediately went over and opened it. He pulled off his brass scope and tucked it into his pocket, then he looked at me.

The first words were the last ones I wanted to hear, "You've been crying, yeah."

Shit, I had forgotten my eyes were red and puffy. I turned away from him in a weak attempt to hide my face and mumbled, "It's nothing, don't worry."

"No, it's not nothing," Deidara insisted and touched her shoulder.

And he didn't understand and all I wanted him was to stop pushing, to stop protecting because-

I flung his hand off of me and snarled, "_It's none of your business!_"

He was momentarily stunned into silence and my heavy panting filled the room. Glancing away from him, I was filled with overwhelming guilt. He had just been worried and I had treated him so badly…

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," I murmured quietly to him and he inclined his head slightly.

He lingered awkwardly in my room, as if he was unsure whether or not he should go. I sighed and sat down on my bed, looking down at my hands as I clasped them.

"Somebody said something that upset me. That's all," I mumbled.

"…do you want me to go kill them?"

I stared at him in disbelief before bursting into a reply barely audible through my laughter, "No! Of course not!"

A small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth and he shrugged. "Just so you know, I don't usually make offers like that, yeah. Next time you want someone dead, you'll have to ask Kisame."

"Damn it, is it too late to take it back?" I asked.

His smirk grew. "Yeah."

I would miss this so much if I ever killed Deidara.

The stray thought brought tears to my eyes and I glanced away suddenly, it hurt to look at him. Deidara looked alarmed and I forced a laugh, shaking my head as I tried to smile at him. He could read the lie in my face but I kept it there.

"Sorry, but can I ask you to go? I think," my breath came in a short gasp, "I think I need to be alone right now."

His hands were feather light on my shoulders as he leaned forwards and kissed me softly. I folded in on myself, crumpling against him like paper and my hands gripped his shirt for support. I would miss him so much if I ever had to leave him, I couldn't ever leave Deidara behind because he was always making me feel better, he was always there and I think I-

- **kill Itachi or Deidara? **_and even though it would hurt me more than anything in the world, I would, I would, I _would -

A sob escaped my mouth and I pressed my hands against my lips to stifle the sound. I shook my head, no, _no_, and he drew me to him in an embrace, his arms enveloping me like a protective shield. I could feel his hands clenched in the fabric of my shirt as if he never wanted to let me go and I gasped for breath.

The words spilled from my mouth, "I don't want you to leave me-"

"I won't-"

"-because if you turn against Konoha and we get orders from Hokage-sama to fight you to defend the village, I'm scared I won't be able to do it -"

"Sakura-"

"-I'm scared I can't stop you if you try to hurt Naruto because _I don't want_ _to kill you_-"

"I love you."

The world stopped.

I looked up and his sapphire gaze was more intense, more serious than it had ever been before. I couldn't say anything, my voice had been lost somewhere and I couldn't find it again.

His voice was thick with emotion, "If Akatsuki orders me to fight Konoha, I'll run the other way. If they tell me to take the jinchuuriki, I'll help you fight against them to save him. You won't ever have to kill me because I'll never give you a reason to."

He kissed me and although a part of me was screaming that I loved Itachi, that this was wrong, another part of me was saying this was right, that I was _happy_. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss.

And I let him.

* * *

Even though the kiss between Deidara and Sakura was driving her insane, a constant reminder in the back of her head, she knew she had to see Itachi. Even though it felt like she had betrayed him somehow, she needed to face him and give him what she had found. This wasn't just about him and her anymore, there was something deeper, something _darker_ that had forcibly tied them together.

She knew instinctively where he'd be and, picking up the letters, she put them in the deepest pocket she had. Her footsteps were slow and reluctant as she walked to the Uchiha district, trying to sort out her mind before she saw Itachi again. Would he kill her for knowing about his role as a spy? If she gave him the Mangekyou Sharingan scroll, what would he do with it?

She was in the Uchiha district before she knew it and her feet were leading her to the riverside. When she got there, Itachi was standing at the edge sun dried dock once again, crimson eyes staring over the sparkling water. He knew she was standing there but made no move to turn around, and she pulled everything out of her pocket.

"Itachi, I found something for you," she began anxiously.

"Hm?"

She then asked, "Do you remember the bag I used to carry around? The one with the Sexy Ninja patch on it?"

"Yes."

"It tore the other day and there were two letters and a Mangekyou Sharingan scroll inside it. The letters have your name on them, one of them was from the Sandaime and I didn't know who the other one was from-"

Itachi turned to face her and demanded suddenly, urgently, "Do you have them with you?"

Nodding, she handed everything to him. His eyes narrowed as he realized the Sandaime's seal had been broken- meaning that somebody had read the letter and he looked up at her accusingly.

"You read one of them."

Sakura swallowed and rushed, "I was just worried it was something harmful to Konoha, I swear I didn't know at all about anything. I couldn't just _give _it to you."

He pulled the letter out of the Sandaime's envelope and began to read it. A different time, a different choice was offered there and at one stage, Itachi would have taken it in a heartbeat. Sakura watched as his jaw clenched imperceptibly.

There was a loud, horrendous rip.

Itachi began tearing the Hokage's letter into pieces, and those pieces into smaller pieces until they were nothing but white confetti. It was impossible to read now and his crimson eyes were dark as he released the paper into the air.

Sakura gasped, "No-"

The pieces of paper settled on the river surface like snow in summer and she watched them sink in horror. She wanted to dive into the lake and pick up all the pieces, but they were already ruined beyond repair. She looked back at him, her throat clenched, and Itachi's face was impassive again.

"No…no, why would you do something like that?" she asked him in a whisper.

He was silent and she could feel her eyes boiling with hot, desperate tears.

She began, "If you had kept it whole, we could have shown it to Tsunade-sama and you'd get a pardon for your crimes because you were acting under orders and you wouldn't have to be a missing-nin-"

"I did not massacre the Uchiha clan on orders," he interrupted her harshly.

"Then _why?_"

"Because I wanted to test my power and I hated them," he answered coldly.

"That's a lie," she insisted, "That's a lie, you left Sasuke alive."

"Stop trying to see things that aren't there," he told her irritably.

"Stop trying to deny they are! You must have been working for Konoha, the Sandaime and this Shisui person believed in you-"

"**Enough.**"

The air was tense and Sakura stopped breathing. His sharp words hadn't been loud but they held far too much power. Her throat had shut in on itself and she looked down at her hands in frustration. Droplets of water trickled down her face and her fists clenched in the bag again.

In a ragged whisper, she finished, "And I believe in you."

* * *

**Next chapter preview : Danzou**

"_Itachi, what the hell were you doing?"_

"He's just been rushed to hospital, he had a heart attack."

**My eyes flickered to the next file. **_**'Uchiha Massacre'**_

* * *

…**Selandora?**

**Where've you BEEN?!  
**Um, well, I've sort of been busy. I've got a few exams coming up soon and whenever I have free time, I go and watch anime or Taiwanese dramas. I'm so sorry! I really couldn't bring myself to write anything, I would sit down at the computer and I would find that I really didn't want to write. I mean, I started writing for fun, so I didn't really want to start up until I found that feeling again. It's returned now and I'm so sorry for being selfish. :S

**Wait, you said that you were tying up loads of loose ends.  
**Yes! Be prepared for the return of hundreds of flashbacks. Chapter 16 and 17 are all flashbacks from Itachi's point of view. Hopefully they sort everything out.

**Selandora (apologizes again)**


	15. Chapter 15 : Danzou

**Chapter 15: Danzou**

"_You've shouldered this burden on your own for thousands of years, and yet you still plan to bear it alone until the very end."  
__- _Shibuya Yuuri, Kyo Kara Maoh

* * *

"So how's Sasuke?" Shisui asked a thirteen year old Itachi as their feet crunched along the autumn coloured forest floor.

Shisui had always insisted on walking on the ground if they could, he had always reasoned that if they sped through the trees then they wouldn't have time to enjoy the scenery. Itachi personally thought that was a load of bullshit- Shisui was just really lazy.

Shisui pulled out a cigarette and used a cheap plastic red lighterto light it. He inhaled deeply before letting out all the smoke in a long sigh, pointedly away from Itachi to be polite.

"He's fine," Itachi answered.

Shisui rolled his eyes, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair. Shifting his cigarette to the corner of his mouth with his tongue, he commented, "It wouldn't kill you to say more."

"Perhaps."

"Is he still nagging you about shuriken training?" Shisui questioned, exhaling white smoke again.

Itachi replied, "Yes."

"Then go teach the poor kid, he's been asking you for over a month already," he chastised his partner.

A frown pulled at the corners of Itachi's mouth and he said quietly, "You know I've been busy."

Itachi's mission to spy on the Uchiha clan was common knowledge between the two of them. It was a sort of shared mission, whenever Itachi couldn't get away to tell the Sandaime about what the clan was doing, he'd pass the information onto Shisui who could. Itachi was the big player though, he was the one who was always in the middle of all the clan politics.

"Ah, I guess. Hold up, there's a town up ahead, let's stop off for the night," Shisui suggested as twinkling town lights came into view.

"You do realize we are only two hours away from Konoha," Itachi stated mildly.

"And you do realize that I need to sit my ass down somewhere before it breaks from all this walking. We're stopping."

They entered the town and it wasn't long before both of them realized they had followers. Shisui glanced at Itachi out of the corner of his eye and Itachi continued staring straight ahead. Spotting the mouth of an alleyway, he turned into it immediately and Shisui followed him without another word.

Their followers turned into the alleyway, only to be met with dirty trash bags and no Itachi and Shisui. A small hanging lamp was the only source of light and the taller man walked forwards, pulling out a long katana from its sheath. The smaller person behind him followed, drawing two kunai from their holsters.

It was then that Itachi and Shisui attacked them from above.

Metal clanged against metal loudly. Shisui fought the bigger man and Itachi fought the smaller one, who was really only a bit shorter than him. In a split second, Itachi had punched his opponent in the face and the stomach. As Itachi made to stab him with a kunai, he missed because the man had finally decided to move.

Itachi dodged as the man tried to stab him twice and jumped to avoid a sweep kick. Halfway through his jump, Itachi kicked the man roughly in the chest and he slammed into the wall opposite. He pinned the man to the wall by his neck with his hand and the man gasped, his head tilted upwards towards the light.

Itachi froze.

The man was nothing but a boy with messy, spiky dark hair. His brown eyes were childish but his face was grimy, as though he had just been playing in the mud. He was frowning, like he was upset that he had just lost a game, but he couldn't have been older than nine years old.

- **teach me how to throw a shuriken? **_and Sasuke frowned when he was rejected, his dark eyes brimming with all the innocence of a child and - _

Itachi jerked as sharp pain raced through the right side of his face. After recovering from a split second of shock, he noticed Shisui's senbon pierced through the boy's neck. The boy's hand fell to his side limply, the kunai streaked with traces of Itachi's blood.

Itachi stood up and stumbled away from the dead boy. Itachi could see his own reflection in his kunai and fresh blood was streaming from a cut beneath his left eye. Touching his face with one hand, he looked at his bloodied fingertips in surprise.

"Itachi, what the hell were you doing?" Shisui demanded, gripping Itachi by his shoulders tightly.

Itachi simply stared at his hand, the blood was black in the dim light. His mind was blank and he looked back up at Shisui with wide eyes.

"I don't know."

* * *

Pein was silent as Madara smashed through every object that came in his way angrily. The rain outside the window did nothing to soothe his mood, it was always raining in Amegakure, and Madara glared at Pein.

Pointing an accusing finger at him, he snarled, "You said his eyesight would be restored by now. And not only that, half of Akatsuki is in Sound when we need all of them to be in Konoha so that the plan can take place!"

Bowing his head apologetically, Pein explained, "Itachi is stubborn and keeps refusing help from Haruno-san. The Hokage sent out Itachi, Kisame and Deidara without consulting me first and I have already made arrangements for them to return to Konoha immediately."

"This puts us back by at least a week. We can't even prepare the extraction area without all of the members," Madara fumed.

The extraction area needed the chakra of all the participants in the ritual to activate it. It took ten hours per participant for the chakra to process in the statue. Anybody who had not put their chakra into the statue would not be recognized as a participant and if that happened then they would be unable to draw out the Kyuubi from the jinchuuriki.

After a few minutes, Madara calmed down and then he asked, "You have already made sure we can easily kidnap the jinchuuriki?"

"I have. I made a clone of Uchiha Sasuke and had him go down to see the jinchuuriki. There were no problems," Pein informed him.

Madara nodded and murmured, "Deidara does not know of this."

"He does not. He has only told the Hokage that we plan to extract the jinchuuriki after the war and that we are trying to restore Itachi's eyesight," Pein confirmed.

"How long will it be until everyone returns to Konoha?" Madara asked.

"They should be back in three hours," he answered.

Madara turned away from Pein to glance out of the window. "Then we will leave for Konoha tonight."

* * *

Tsunade turned to me and said, "I need somebody to file my cabinets."

She knew I wanted to go back to the front lines and she kept me back in Konoha to file her cabinets? Even though I wasn't as strong as I could be, she really was just mocking me and it pissed me off. I wasn't disabled.

I opened my mouth to protest but she interrupted, "And if you argue, your visitation rights will be taken away from you."

Her hazel eyes flashed warningly at me and I shut my mouth immediately. I knew she was talking about Naruto and for a long time, we stared at each other. Eventually I forced myself to bow slightly and left the room without a word.

The file room was a complete mess. It would take me at least three days to finish filing everything without sleep and I growled angrily as I began to pick up the scattered papers on the ground.

Outside, I could hear voices, "Did you hear about Danzou-sama?"

"No, what happened?"

"He's just been rushed to hospital, he had a heart attack."

"A heart attack?"

"He is getting on in years…"

- **incredibly sorry for what Danzou has put you through **_and this was the man that had made Itachi suffer, that had forced a titan through hell but I still didn't know _what -

If Danzou had been rushed to the hospital then that would mean that there was nobody in his office. I knew where it was, I had been asked by Tsunade to run errands and drop off messages for him there and nobody other than Danzou was ever allowed inside.

There had to be something inside his office on Itachi, Danzou had been mentioned in the Sandaime's letter. If Danzou was in the hospital for a heart attack, he'd probably be there for at least three days and it could take me a while to find out whatever I was looking for on Itachi. If I was caught in Danzou's office there could be serious consequences. I had to keep this a secret from Itachi, I didn't think he'd want me poking around in his life but I _had _to know.

Swallowing painfully, I decided to take the risk.

I made my way through the Root building of ANBU, walking around like I was meant to be there and nobody questioned me. It was nice to be the Hokage's apprentice sometimes, everybody always presumed you were on important business. Danzou's office came into sight and I tried the doorknob.

It was locked. Swearing inwardly, I looked around me to make sure nobody was looking and pulled out the Hokage's skeleton key from my pocket. It could open any and every door in a government building and Tsunade wouldn't notice, she hardly used it. Danzou's door opened with a click and I locked it behind me as I went in.

A vase of white lilies had been upturned and the floor was wet. Danzou had probably knocked it over when he had his heart attack and I instantly made a beeline for his file cabinet. I began flicking through the files, opening them and studying them.

It was all pretty grisly stuff and there were photos attached to some of them. It was the stuff that nightmares were made of, mutilated bodies and unseeing eyes, and I felt sick to my stomach as I went through them. There were so many and for the next few hours I was stuck reading through them.

I finished all the files in his file cabinet, but I had found absolutely _nothing_ on Itachi. That had to be impossible though, he would never have destroyed such an important file on the Uchiha Massacre and I sat down with my back to the wall, a frustrated frown on my face.

I zoned out for a bit and began to stare at the carving on Danzou's table. Each of the legs had been carved to look like a tree root and they were all exactly the same-

Or were they?

Following my instincts, I began to study each of the table legs. Each of them branched out into four smaller roots and they were all identical. Sitting back down against the wall, I felt disappointed that I had been wrong.

Then I found one tiny, nearly insignificant difference.

There was a small root hair on the left most leg. There were no root hairs on any of the other table legs and, swallowing, I tentatively prodded it. It sank into the wood and I heard it shift. From underneath the table, files slid out and landed on the carpeted floor.

The first one was clearly labelled '_Uzumaki Kushina'_.

Uzumaki? Was this a relative of Naruto's? I opened it instantly and began to read the file, but afterwards I wished I hadn't.

_Uzumaki Kushina, 23, jounin of Whirlpool, was assassinated by Root Member 24 on October 11__th__ in the last year of the Yondaime's reign under Danzou's orders. _

_Hokage Namikaze Minato, did not know of her death and their son, Uzumaki Naruto, was unable to claim her body because he was a day old. Her body was returned to Whirlpool and they were told she died in battle._

_Reasons for assassination:  
__Uzumaki Naruto to be used as a scapegoat for the devastation of the Kyuubi, she would protest.  
__Her affair with the Hokage would have damaged his reputation._

There was a photo of her, a beautiful red haired woman with green eyes. She and Naruto looked nothing alike, but I could tell he was her child in a heartbeat. Her grin was too wide, just like his, and they both seemed to radiate life and happiness. The next photo was of Naruto as a baby and the one after that was of the Yondaime himself.

I grew angry as I flicked through the file. There was one of Kushina kissing the Yondaime, there were plans for her assassination, there were pictures of her body after death and there was a picture of her holding Naruto after his birth.

Naruto was a direct descendant of the Fourth, I realized. He had the blood of a Hokage flowing through his veins and I inwardly berated myself for not seeing the resemblance before.

Who was this man, this _monster_, that would destroy the last living relative an infant had? Naruto had suffered for so long on his own because of _Danzou_, he had had family and nobody had told him because they didn't want to damage the Fourth's reputation for having a child out of wedlock.

My eyes flickered to the next file. _'Uchiha Massacre'_

I opened the file with trembling hands. A photograph of Itachi fell out, only there was only one scar beneath his eye and not two like I had been so accustomed to. He was so young, barely even twelve, but his eyes were as unreadable as ever.

_Root member Uchiha Itachi assigned to spy on the Uchiha clan after rumours of a rebellion circulate. Uchiha Itachi confirmed these rumours and he reported all the movements of the clan._

A thick wad of paper written in Itachi's familiar narrow, elegant handwriting followed. It was all on everything the Uchiha clan did and what happened at each of the clan meetings. I read through all of it and felt everything I thought I knew about the Uchiha clan shatter into a hundred thousand pieces.

The Uchiha clan wanted to take Konoha by force. They would start by bombing the city and Itachi was a key player in this, he was to set bombs in all of the most important areas since he could come and go as he pleased without being questioned. Itachi reported this to Root and they banned all explosives from Konoha temporarily.

The clan then wanted Itachi to inherit the Mangekyou Sharingan so that he would be able to kill the Hokage on his own. Lots of higher ranking Konoha ninjas had to go out and do lots of missions because Konoha was short on money, and the clan used this to their advantage by trying to stage an ambush.

Itachi reported this to ANBU and was ordered to massacre the Uchiha clan immediately by Danzou. The date of the final report was the same day as the Uchiha Massacre.

_Uchiha Sasuke was left alive and when ordered to kill him, Uchiha Itachi refused and threatened to leak information concerning the true nature of the massacre. Uchiha Sasuke was granted protection according to Uchiha Itachi's request and shortly afterwards Uchiha Itachi became a missing-nin._

The papers slid from my hands in shock. I balled my fists in the carpet, biting down on my lip as my breath came in ragged gasps. I could feel the hot tears prickling at my eyes and glanced away from the file, the truth hitting me all at once.

"You…you idiot," I gasped through my sobs.

He had been protecting Konoha, **Sasuke**, all along and he had never said anything about it. He had suffered so much because of Danzou, because of Konoha and he had never once come forward to explain what had really happened.

A letter in the file caught my eye and I looked at it. It read on the cover: _If you're an asshole, please don't open this._

I could hear footsteps outside and a key grated in the lock of the door. Swearing inwardly, I picked up the files and closed the secret drawer in Danzou's desk. The doorknob turned and the door creaked open as I flashed through signals for a jutsu.

Just as someone stepped into the room, I disappeared.

I reappeared in my apartment and stumbled through it, my chest heaving with sobs. I hid the files underneath my mattress and sank onto the floor, covering my eyes with my palms as I cried.

* * *

**Next chapter preview : Shisui **

"_But Itachi…you're only a kid. Why would they choose you?"_

"Shisui? Shisui, talk to me. We need to let the Hokage know-"

"**Itachi!"**

* * *

**Wow, what a quick update. (Well, compared to before at least.)**

**Hey, is the first flashback in this chapter about how Itachi got one of the scars under his eyes?  
**Yeah, it is. I wanted to introduce the flashbacks in this chapter so it wouldn't be too overwhelming in the next super long chapter.

**Why would Itachi deny that the letter from the Hokage was real?  
**There aren't many things Itachi's scared of, but I'd like to think that being found out is one of the biggest ones. He's been so used to handling things on his own that he doesn't want to bring anyone into the equation- and Sasuke might find out the truth about the Uchiha clan. He took the blame because he didn't want Sasuke to think of the Uchiha clan as anything but great.

**Are you going to make this into a trilogy?  
**This is the last one I'm afraid. I'm going to try and give this story an epic ending to finish it all off, I'll probably be bawling all the way through writing it.

**How frequently do you update?  
**Hm. Uh. It's kind of impulsive really, it's normally once every two weeks, but if I'm feeling nice one week.

**Man. I thought **_**Itachi **_**was going to have a heart attack. I don't care about Danzou!  
**Ahem, language. It's fun taking things out of context just to make the previews even more interesting (heehee).

**AHHHHHH! YOU IDIOT! How's Sakura meant to choose between Itachi and Deidara now?!  
**Ehe, you know, the Deidara love confession wasn't actually meant to happen at all. I was writing and I got carried away, but I liked the scene so much I kept it in. In this story, deisaku's always meant to be the opposite of itasaku, simply because Itachi and Deidara are so different. And Deidara's silly and emotional too. : )

**How am **_**I **_**meant to choose between Itachi and Deidara?  
**Heehee. Have fun.

**SHISUI'S COMING BACK?  
**YES! I love Shisui. He's so much fun, but it was a pain in the ass to write the flashbacks after a while cause I really just wanted to get on with the itasaku/deisaku.

**Holy, is the next chapter all flashbacks?  
**Yeah, so for those of you who hate flashbacks just skip the next chapter.

**Hey, this is awfully short compared to the other chapters. What happened?!  
**Uh, well, the next one is super long to make up for it. I'm not here for the next two weeks though so I decided I'd update and throw in a new story, just because I love you guys so much.

**What have you been doing for the past hour?  
**I've been reading the craziest argument about Uchiha Itachi here s4.zetaboards . com / LeafNinjaForums / topic / 327529 / 283 / It's insane. The arguments are so complicated, especially if you read the latest ones. I mean I'm an Itachi freak but these guys REALLY take it to the next level, I pay homage to them. Oh, but don't read it if you don't want spoilers.

**Selandora (is going to camp tomorrow, where she'll hike up and down mountains for no reason at all without a single shower. How gross.)**


	16. Chapter 16 : Shisui

_"I think I'll see you again."  
__"I've had enough of babysitting you but…it would be nice to see you again."  
__- Shinou and the Great Sage, Kyou Kara Maoh_

* * *

"You know, I think that's a really ugly scar," Shisui told Itachi bluntly as they walked through the streets of Konoha.

Itachi hummed, a neutral hum that meant that he didn't really care. The scar underneath his left eye was barely noticeable but it seemed the rest of the female population had seen it. Shisui stared at the girls giggling as they passed.

"I don't know _why _those girls are interested in you. I mean – look at you – you're a midget, you're not exactly boyfriend potential and that scar's a real turn off," he complained and a small smirk pulled at the corner of Itachi's mouth.

Itachi commented, "I didn't realize you were so jealous."

"Jealous? Me, jealous?" Shisui said incredulously, "I'm not jealous, I've got a girlfriend who's much prettier than any of these girls here and she's got much bigger boobs as well-"

"I don't think you should let Ayame-san know that."

"Neither do I, so that's why you're going to keep your mouth shut," he insisted firmly.

Shisui pulled out a cigarette and slipped it into the corner of his mouth. Almost as if out of thin air, he produced a cheap, tacky red lighter and lit up. After inhaling deeply and releasing a refined jet of smoke, he glanced at Itachi and offered him one. Itachi simply looked at him with and expression that clearly read 'how-many-times-must-I-tell-you-no', so that was the end of that.

"You know, I really think you're just a sexually frustrated little boy," Shisui stated as they took a step into the Uchiha compound.

Itachi wondered if Shisui cared about the disapproving looks most of the Uchiha clan directed at Shisui, or if Shisui had just stopped caring at all. Knowing Shisui, it was probably the second.

"And why would you think that?" Itachi humoured Shisui.

Shisui explained, "Well, you're probably so quiet because you're trying to restrain your libido all the time and since it's _such_ hard work you don't say much as a result. Your little teenage mind is probably going haywire with sex, sex, sex-"

"Please stop describing yourself."

"Aw ouch, right in the nuts Itachi."

The nearly invisible smirk on Itachi's face grew and Shisui smirked widely to compensate for Itachi's lack of expression. Itachi came up to Shisui's ear now and he had started growing his hair longer, mainly to annoy his father. Shisui was convinced that Itachi just liked his own shoulder length shaggy hair and took pride in having corrupted the clan prodigy.

Shisui's dark brown eyes glinted in amusement and he ran a hand through his chestnut brown hair. Suddenly, he sobered and he looked at Itachi very seriously.

"There's another clan meeting again tonight, isn't there?" he asked solemnly.

Itachi nodded and Shisui then let out a breathy sort of sigh. He said as though he carried the weight of the world on his back, "That's too bad then. I guess I'll have to help you out again."

"If you would."

"Ahh, who am I to deny a little kid like you? Of course I'll do it, you're too cute Itachi-chan," Shisui said through another smirk.

Itachi rolled his eyes and stated flatly, "Please shut up."

"God, you're so cold even when you're being polite."

Four hours later, Itachi emerged from the clan meeting. Before Fugaku could reach his son, Itachi had already disappeared to the riverbank- his usual training spot. Shisui was already there with his feet dangling in the water, he looked up as Itachi approached.

"That went on a bit longer than I thought it would," Shisui commented.

Itachi's expression was more serious than usual and he said, "They've found some sort of secret weapon. They want me to wield it and use it to kill the Sandaime."

This stunned Shisui into silence.

"But Itachi…you're only a kid. Why would they choose you?" he managed finally.

Itachi's eyes were unreadable as he continued, "I've been asked to retrieve the scroll for the Mangekyou Sharingan from Madara's tomb as soon as possible. You need to tell Hokage-sama now."

Shisui eventually nodded and disappeared in a dark blur. His words stuck to the walls of Itachi's mind like superglue and Itachi struggled inwardly with the weight of them.

- **you're only a kid **_and Shisui could see what Itachi thought too, that it didn't matter anymore who or what he was because all he was to them now was a _tool –

"You have to pull Itachi out of this. He's too young for this," Shisui snarled at the Sandaime who sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I have tried again and again to convince the council, but they all agree with Danzou's view. There is nothing I can do right now," he insisted.

"He's not even a person to any of them anymore! He's just a weapon and they don't care about his feelings at all!" Shisui yelled.

The stiff silence that followed made Shisui realise he had spoken out of line. Glancing away, Shisui said nothing and his jaw trembled as he gritted his teeth angrily.

"I understand what you're feeling," Sarutobi told him calmly, "but you must realise that if we act rashly, then we put Itachi in danger. I would like nothing but to pull Itachi out of this, but if he is exposed as a spy then your clan will not hesitate to kill him."

Shisui nodded, his entire body tense. This did not go unnoticed by Sarutobi, but he made no move to press the matter further.

"I want you to go with Itachi to retrieve the Mangekyou Sharingan scroll. You are dismissed," Sarutobi finished, turning his chair away to face the window.

It was a ritual that after every clan meeting, Shisui would meet Itachi at the river where Itachi would tell him what happened. Afterwards, Itachi would go to eat at Ichiraku and Shisui would meet him there to inform him of the Hokage's orders. It was to Ichiraku that Shisui now went to and he sat down beside the small teenager sitting at the counter.

"He wants me to go with you," Shisui said in an undertone.

Itachi nodded very slightly and a beautiful brown haired woman approached them with a frown on her face. Shisui's face lit up like the sun and he smiled at her with bright eyes. Shisui hardly ever smiled since he was always smirking – Ayame was the only one who could make him truly smile. Itachi had noticed but kept quiet about it as he always did.

"You left Itachi here for such a long time on his own! What took you so long?" she burst angrily and his smile quickly faded.

Sheepishly, he lied, "There was a problem with one of the mission reports so the Hokage wanted to talk with my team about it."

"I'm presuming you wrote the mission report," Itachi played along and Shisui scowled at him.

In his defense, he insisted, "It wasn't my fault, my team only told me I'd be writing it at the end of the mission and I couldn't remember anything by then."

Ayame sighed and put a bowl of ramen in front of Shisui. He split the wooden disposable chopsticks, said 'Itadikimasu' and slurped down some of the noodles. His face went green and he gagged.

"It's cold, Aya-chan," he whined to Ayame and she threw her hands up in the air.

"You took so long to get here, I'm not going to heat it up again," she told him.

Itachi finished off the rest of his tea and commented, "I can't imagine that your disgusting noodles taste any better cold."

"Oi, you haven't even tried them," Shisui retorted.

Ayame said, "It's better if he doesn't, it'll probably kill him."

Shisui's favourite ramen was a mixture of miso, dango, pork, prawns, beetroots, cabbage, chilli, pineapples and chocolate sauce. It made Ayame sick to make them and even Itachi felt queasy watching him eat.

With a sigh, Shisui stood up, "Fine, since I'm not wanted here, let's go Itachi."

"Goodbye Shisui," Ayame told him, hiding a smile as she put his ramen away.

Leaning over the counter, he puckered his lips and waited expectantly. With a small sigh that she didn't really mean, she kissed him and let out a small squeak as he pulled her over the counter.

"Shisui, _Shisui_, stop!" she laughed through kisses and Itachi pointedly turned his head away to give them their privacy.

Ayame finally managed with a smile, "Go away and stop bothering me."

"Alright, alright, I love you," he muttered and Itachi dragged him away.

Once they were out of eyesight of Ichiraku, Shisui straightened up, his expression serious. He and Itachi exchanged a look and then they both disappeared simultaneously, reappearing once again in front of the small, ancient Uchiha temple.

Shisui hid in the trees, waiting for Itachi to give him the okay to approach the temple. There was a chance that other Uchihas could be watching and if they found out Shisui knew about the Mangekyou, it might make things very dangerous for him. Itachi opened the temple doors and Shisui moved so fast, he was invisible as he slipped inside. Itachi closed the heavy doors with a loud, foreboding bang.

"…where's this tomb?" Shisui asked, glancing around the temple uncertainly.

Itachi was already lifting off the top off of the altar and Shisui immediately ran up to him, panicked. He slammed his hand down on the top of the lid and hissed, "What the hell are you doing?! Buddha's going to kill us if you don't put that back!"

"You're not religious, Shisui."

"I know _that_, but even if you're religious you don't go screwing with other people's gods," Shisui explained worriedly.

Itachi simply stared at him and after a while of enduring his uncomfortable expression, Shisui lifted his hand reluctantly. Itachi removed the lid of the altar and put it on the ground. What was revealed was a dusty stone staircase that led further down beneath the ground.

Both Itachi and Shisui produced a blue chakra torch light and they flickered to life as they moulded chakra to it. Shisui went down first and Itachi stayed behind to put the altar cover back on. The walls of the passage were old and cobwebbed and everything was so narrow.

Behind Itachi, everything suddenly went black.

"…shit."

Itachi whirled around to face Shisui and the blue glow of his light illuminated Shisui's face. He was smacking his light against his leg, trying to get it to start working again. With a sigh, Itachi handed Shisui his own light and they continued walking through the tomb.

"I told you not to buy the chakra light from the black market," Itachi stated flatly.

Shisui snapped defensively, "It was cheap, okay? You don't have to worry about paying for everything yourself."

"Hm."

Shisui hurriedly changed the subject with annoyance leaking through his voice, "So what's this thing your dad wants us to get?"

He obviously knew what they were looking for, but Itachi humoured him anyways. He explained, "It's an ancient scroll with a Sharingan on it."

Shisui inwardly shivered as he saw a cockroach scuttle past in front of him and muttered darkly, "You'd think somebody'd come over and clean out the old geezer's tomb every now and again."

"Hm."

Their sandals crunched against the floor with every step they took. Crunch, crunch, crunch…

"You know, I'm going to propose to Ayame next week," Shisui blurted.

There was a stiff silence behind him.

Shisui opened his mouth to say something else but Itachi beat him to it. He commented, "Bit early."

Shisui shrugged, forgetting that Itachi couldn't see him that well. A genuine smile stretched across his face as he continued walking forwards. "Well, I like her. And she likes me. She's just…special."

For the next ten minutes, Itachi was completely silent. The passage gradually began to widen into a large room, but Itachi couldn't see it because Shisui was in the way. There was a low whistle of awed appreciation from Shisui as he took in the sight before him.

He murmured in amazement, "Man Itachi, this guy was loaded."

A huge altar made of a gigantic slab of white marble stood in the middle of the room, on top of which a white marble casket had been set into. An eerily accurate likeness of Uchiha Madara had been carved into it, though his features had been worn by the hundreds of years past. Itachi went about lighting the surrounding chakra lanterns with chakra as Shisui inspected the casket.

"There's no scroll here," he announced.

"It's inside the casket," Itachi explained and Shisui visibly tensed. He opened his mouth, probably to say something about screwing with people's ghosts, but then closed it again as Itachi shoved the lid off of the casket.

It crashed against the floor and filled the room with a chilling echo that made Shisui's hairs stand on end. The blue lights flickered and cast their long, spindly shadows against the walls and a cloud of white smoke enshrouded the casket before dissipating into nothing.

Itachi froze.

His onyx eyes were fixed on the inside of the casket and Shisui approached him to peer inside. It was empty, but Itachi still hadn't moved. Shisui frowned at the inside of the coffin and looked down at the lid, noticing a small crack in Madara's hand. He touched it and it crumbled beneath his fingers, revealing a small scroll with a Sharingan seal.

Shisui looked up at Itachi who was still standing, frozen.

"Itachi, I found the scroll," Shisui told him.

Itachi's head jerked forwards, as though he had no control over it. His entire body was taut with tension and suddenly his hand flashed to his katana hilt before he froze again.

"Hey, are you alright?"

With all the stiffness of a puppet, Itachi raised his hands to form a seal. Every last muscle bulged as though it took him all of his effort to perform the action and his voice was strained as he hissed, "Kai!"

Then he stumbled backwards, clawing at his eyes with his hands as his breaths came in short gasps, in, out, in, out. He stared at the Sharingan scroll in Shisui's hands as he breathed in, out, in, out and every inch of his body arched as he began to hiss the release jutsu.

"Kai, kai, kai, kai, kai, kai, _kai, kai, __**kai-"**_

"**Itachi!**"

Itachi fell to his knees, his fingers red with blood and Shisui rushed over to him. His hands kept on scratching at his face and blood splattered onto the white of his ANBU armour as he kept screaming kai, kai, _kai_-

A name slipped from his lips finally, "Sh-Shisui-"

And it hurt to see Itachi call out for help because he always thought he had to be strong, always thought he couldn't ask for help. Shisui knew this and he had been trying to change Itachi, but he had never wanted it like _this_-

"It's okay, I'm here. I'm here," he told Itachi over and over again, trying not only to reassure Itachi but himself as his hand clenched tight around Itachi's arm as if he was going to disappear.

Then Itachi fell impossibly still, his eyes wide as his mouth opened silently as though he was trying to scream. He tried to raise a hand to touch Shisui. It fell limply to the floor as all the light drained out of his eyes and he fell unconscious into Shisui's chest. The chakra torches went out and left them both in pitch blackness.

"Itachi?" Shisui whispered his name in the dark silence.

He could feel Itachi's warm blood seeping through his shirt. He could hear Itachi's ragged breathing and he clenched the scroll tight in his hand.

"_He'll be fine_," a voice like fire filled the room and the chakra torches flickered to life, an evil crimson colour.

A man with short, spiky black hair was leaned against the casket, his single crimson eye dark with a strange black pattern. His resemblance was striking to the person carved on the lid of the casket, but that _didn't make any sense…_

"Who are you? What did you do to him?" Shisui demanded, his voice rough with anger.

A surprised, mocking laugh rang out and echoed off the walls of the tomb, resounding chilly in Shisui's ears. He gritted his teeth and his hands clenched in the fabric of Itachi's shirt as he pulled him closer protectively. The man, Uchiha Madara, was sat on top of the casket. He stood up and walked towards Shisui, a strange smile on his face.

"_Just a little genjutsu…so that I could talk to you alone," _Madara answered mildly.

Shisui was caught off guard. "Talk to me?"

Madara inclined his head and said, "_Yes."_

The red lights all flickered simultaneously, eerily. It cast dark shadows over Madara's face and for a split second, he looked like a monster. Shisui prepared himself to run away with Itachi but he didn't know if he'd be able to get through the narrow passageway quick enough. There were no other ways out though and he stood up with Itachi in his arms decisively-

_"I hope you're not thinking of running away halfway through our conversation. That's awfully rude of you," _the voice came from the entrance of the tunnel and Shisui swivelled immediately to the source.

Madara blocked the way, the strange smile still fixed on his face, but when had he moved? Shisui got the distinct feeling that Madara had planned this out. Itachi's pale skin was scarcely visible underneath all the red that stained his face and Shisui's white shirt was already ruined beyond repair.

"What do you want from me?" Shisui demanded again.

The long dead Uchiha replied bluntly, "_I want to use you as my next vessel."_

_"You must have heard of me. I'm Uchiha Madara," _he introduced himself.

"Don't fuck with me. You've been dead for over a hundred years," Shisui snarled.

"_Not in the literal sense, my body died but my soul didn't. I took over the body of the closest Uchiha and lived through him. Every couple of decades though, the body gets old so I have to find a new vessel. I've got things I need to do, like destroying Konoha, so it's important that I find another one soon," _Madara explained.

"That's total bullshit," he snapped in response.

Madara approached him, forcing him back, step by step, step by step. Shisui's back met the cold marble of the empty coffin and Shisui could go no further. Madara's pale white hand rose and Shisui pulled Itachi to his chest, not worried for himself but the boy who was far too important to him and Konoha.

_"Well, you see…you actually don't have a choice."_

The hand thrust into Shisui's chest above Itachi's head and Shisui gasped. There was no blood, no wound. He felt no pain but only an icy emptiness that began to take over his body. He could feel his knees buckling and he didn't even realize he had fallen. It felt like his existence was slowly being sucked away.

"You…bastard…" Shisui gasped and Madara grinned at him triumphantly as he slowly began dissolving into Shisui's body.

His world went black.

* * *

"Itachi! Itachi, he's awake!"

Shisui's brown eyes slowly opened and watered as the bright light bested him. He squinted, looking away from the fluorescent hospital lights, and then looked at the source of the voice. Ayame's face swam in and out of his vision blurrily and he became aware that she was holding his hand tightly.

His voice came out in a throaty rasp, "Why am I in the hospital?"

"You passed out from exhaustion and I brought you here to rest," Itachi explained quietly.

And it was then that Shisui realized how tired he was. Even just squeezing his fingers or moving his head took so much effort and every bone ached. He couldn't remember anything at all-

**I hope you haven't forgotten me, Shisui.**

The voice wasn't a voice, Shisui couldn't actually hear it but it resonated within his mind like a thought that wasn't his. He tensed, but Ayame didn't notice. Itachi did and their gazes met for a split second- Itachi wanted to talk about something.

"Ayame-san, I think Shisui will be fine now. You're late for your lunch shift," he reminded her and she glanced at the white clock on the wall in surprise.

"Oh, you're right! Thank you, Itachi," she thanked him and kissed Shisui lightly on the lips.

He tried to raise his arms to pull her down to him, but they were frozen in place. It was like somebody else held them and it felt like his body was no longer _his_.

**I'm glad you've realized**.

"I saw something, in the tomb," Itachi began once Ayame had left, startling Shisui.

Shisui nodded and waited for Itachi to continue. The boy explained, "There was a very strong genjutsu on the grave, so when I removed the lid it triggered it. I couldn't see through it with the Sharingan. You didn't see anything strange?"

And Shisui opened his mouth to tell him about Madara, but the words that erupted from his lips weren't his own. Madara was speaking with _his _voice and it was as though he had been locked in a cage, helpless to do anything but watch.

"No, I didn't. You suddenly fainted and I brought you back to the Uchiha District."

Itachi nodded and Shisui tried to move, tried to say something, but his body refused to listen. Itachi said, "The Sandaime told me to hold onto the Mangekyou Sharingan scroll for now. He'll tell me later on this week what I'm to do with it."

"No," Madara barked from within Shisui's body.

_Itachi, Itachi, please notice that something is _wrong-

Itachi blinked in surprise and his eyes narrowed. In a cool voice, he asked, "Why?"

"The scroll is too dangerous. The Hokage can't be trusted with so much power," Madara explained, his voice angry.

And Shisui fought for control, slamming himself against the mental walls of his mind. This was _his _body, this was _his _life, and he'd be damned if he let some dead guy take over.

Shisui took a deep breath, like he had just surfaced from the water, and he gasped out, "Itachi, listen to me. Something happened in the-"

He tongue froze halfway through his sentence and he looked at Itachi with wide eyes. Itachi definitely knew something was wrong now and his Sharingan tomoe began to whirl like windmills as he fought to see through whatever was affecting Shisui. Madara was fighting for control again and it was taking so much effort to hold him back.

"In the tomb. Uchiha Madara, he," – Shisui tensed as Madara began to slowly take control again – "he's in my body now and he's taking over."

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked and Shisui went absolutely still.

In the silence, Itachi's voice sounded vulnerable and childish for the very first time.

He shook Shisui's leg and he stared at Shisui's wide, unseeing eyes helplessly. "Shisui? Shisui, talk to me. We need to let the Hokage know-"

There was a loud, horrendous crack as Shisui's arm smashed into the side of Itachi's face. The force of the blow threw Itachi from his seat, he hadn't even thought to block it because Shisui would never hit him. Blood began streaming from Shisui's Sharingan and a new malevolent pattern whirled in his eyes now.

"You stupid child," Madara snarled at Itachi, his voice harsh, "You are an Uchiha. The time for us is coming, stop hanging onto the words of the Hokage and help your family take control of Konoha."

Madara sounded exactly like all of the Uchiha clan elders, like Itachi's father, and Itachi couldn't believe these words were coming from Shisui's mouth. Shisui arched suddenly and began to attack Madara in his mind once again, fighting for control with more vigour than ever before. He was screaming, banging against the walls of his mind as he fought to break free.

And in a single moment, Shisui knew exactly what Madara was planning to do.

He was planning to use Shisui's body to kill the Hokage and he was going to do it now. Now that he had been released from his tomb after so long, he wasn't going to wait any longer and Shisui needed to find some way to stop him.

**Stop struggling! The Hokage deserves to die, after stealing Konoha from the Uchiha clan! **Madara shouted at Shisui who fought for his body back.

"You have to…to kill me," Shisui gasped.

Itachi stared at him silently, his eyes flecked with confusion. Shisui let out a short, breathy scream and arched in his bed.

"Do it! Before it's too late!" Shisui begged.

"You're being irrational, Shisui. We should-"

"There isn't enough time!" Shisui snarled angrily at him.

In a quiet, definite voice, Itachi said, "I'm not going to kill you."

And Shisui knew that he meant it and for once Shisui wished Itachi wasn't so loyal to his loved ones, that he didn't believe in all of Konoha's stupid morals. Shisui would need to force Itachi to kill him and the only way he could get to Itachi was-

- **as long as the clan doesn't force this on Sasuke **_and Itachi watched his little brother throw kunai at a target, his dark crimson eyes softening -_

Shisui staggered out of the bed and opened the window. He leapt from it and landed badly as Madara tried to take control again, he could hear Itachi following him. Using his body flicker technique, he made his way over to the Uchiha District and he kept on running- he knew there wasn't enough time before Madara completely took over once again.

The windows of Sasuke's room were slammed open, startling the little dark haired boy inside. Sasuke turned to his windows and saw Shisui standing there, slumped against his windowsill.

"Shisui?" Sasuke said in surprise.

Shisui dragged himself over to Sasuke and bent down on one knee, putting his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. He looked at Sasuke's small, round face and impulsively pulled the little boy close to him.

Sasuke awkwardly put his arms around Shisui's shoulders and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Shisui murmured, his voice breaking.

He pressed a pressure point on the back of Sasuke's neck and the boy fell unconscious into his arms. Itachi appeared suddenly at the window and Shisui dashed past him, heading for the river. He forced himself to run faster, _faster_, because he could feel himself slowly slipping away and there wasn't enough time. His shoes met the wood of the dock and the sound reverberated oddly in the silence, like a funeral bell, and he pulled a kunai out of his holster.

A black blur appeared on the other end of the dock and Shisui raised the kunai to Sasuke's pale throat. Itachi froze.

"Shisui, put down the kunai," Itachi said cautiously.

Sasuke's head was tilted back and the skin pulled tight over his throat as Shisui pressed the kunai harder against the boy's neck. Blood trickled down Sasuke's white skin and Shisui could hear his own erratic heartbeat in his ears.

"Kill me, Itachi. Kill me, or I'll kill Sasuke."

**You wouldn't,** Itachi's crimson eyes pierced through Shisui's soul, **you'd never hurt Sasuke.**

Shisui raised the kunai decisively **I'm trusting you to get to me in time, partner **and it sped towards Sasuke's neck as he lowered it suddenly. Itachi ran, but he wasn't sure if he was fast enough, wasn't sure if he'd get there in time-

Blood splattered onto the dock.

Shisui fell into the water and Itachi watched like it was in slow motion. The kunai that protruded from his neck was fatal and Shisui reached out a hand, as if he was asking for Itachi's help. It took all of Itachi's willpower not to reach out and grab it, something that he would regret for most of his life. The water splashed and Shisui's body sank into the water, his blood streaming from his wound in red ribbons.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Sasuke lay still on the dock and Itachi knelt down beside his brother, wiping the blood from his neck. There was no cut at all and Itachi knew instantly that Shisui had cut his own finger to make it look like he had hurt Sasuke. Shisui had never cut Sasuke.

Itachi's breath caught in his throat suddenly and he coughed. He gasped for breath, like he was the one underwater, and when he felt the hot liquid streaming from his eyes- he finally realized he was crying.

* * *

A boy trapped under hundreds of boulders had been silent for a long time already. Kakashi and Rin had left eternities ago and he had forced them, made them leave him behind. He knew he was going to die and he was scared, he was terrified even, but the thought of either of his team mates dying because of him scared him more.

He let out an unearthly scream suddenly and arched as pain laced through him. His fingers twitched and he shuddered, like his body wasn't _his _anymore, and he felt his life slowly trickle away.

**Hello, Obito.**

* * *

**Next chapter preview : Human**

"I love you."

"_Five days from now, we will put the plan into action."_

"**You lied about everything, you lied to Sasuke, you lied to Konoha and you lied to me!"**

* * *

**WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. THIS CHAPTER MAKES NO SENSE. There is an excessive use of artistic license. **

**Didn't Shisui **_**drown**_**? His throat wasn't slit!  
**Initially I wanted Itachi to drown Shisui, but then that wouldn't have made much sense. Itachi loved Shisui too much and all he would have done was try to knock Shisui out, and halfway through the drowning he probably would have realized what he was doing and let Shisui up.

**Why are Itachi and Shisui so close?  
**Shisui was one of the few people that seemed to realize Itachi _was _actually a human. Shisui was probably was and always will be the only person who understood Itachi completely.

**Wait, so Madara is living in Obito's body now?  
**Yeah, he is. Obito's soul is still in there somewhere, but right now he's as good as dead. There's no chance he'll be able to force Madara out of his body because Madara has actually taken over.

**Did Tobi fake his death to throw Itachi off?  
**Yes, but Itachi already knew that Tobi was Madara by this point. (Don't ask why, he's just that pro.)

**WAIT. What about the letter Shisui left behind?  
**Sakura _did _take it with her, and she reads it in the next chapter.

**Who was the person that went into Danzo's office?  
**All will be revealed in time, my good friends. : )

**Sakura believes the best of Itachi, doesn't she?  
**She does. She's one of the only ones, Kisame does as well.

**Was Kushina randomly thrown in there or is she actually important to the story?  
**…You know, you'd like to think authors have a reason for putting things in. I'm sure most authors do, but I like throwing things in randomly. So yes, she's just there because I wanted her to be and she never actually comes in or anything. And I don't think I'll let Naruto know either.

**Obito didn't die around the same time Itachi killed Shisui!  
**I know, I know, but I changed it to make it more convenient for my plot bunny to work. Sorry if anybody's angry.

**Itachi was in ROOT?  
**Wasn't he? I'm sure he was, when they explain it in the manga they go into this big long thing. I tried to keep it as close to the manga as possible but this story is impossible sometimes. Say is probably better with that.

**Say? What's Say?  
**It's my new story! It's a sasusaku (GASP). I know I said I hate the pairing, but I read a story called Color Theory by BlueGreenApples and it inspired me to write it. I can forgive the author for her American spelling because the story is so good. Basically, it's a story that follows the manga up until the really recent chapters and I've tried to keep it as close to it as possible.

**Is this epic ending you've got planned a sad one?  
**Um. Well. Maybe? : )

**Why are you going on a camp in **_**fall?  
**_Fall is the least humid season over here, but I swear it was so hot and sunny. Normally its non-stop smog every day, but the sky was so clear. I was so shocked. I had lots and lots of fun.

**Is there absolutely no way Sakura will get both guys?  
**There is absolutely no way. I've decided who she's going to get with already, have you?

"What's One Piece about?"  
"It's about a guy made of rubber."  
"..." *perverted grin*  
- me and my friend

**Selandora (should really start finishing the next chapter for DD and Say.)**

_PS. Special mention for Dark Angel Fall because she reviewed DE and DD a total of 15 times in the past two weeks._


	17. Chapter 17 : Human After All

**Chapter 17: Human After All**

"_It's sad. Each time we meet, you seem more and more human." – Allen Walker_

* * *

"Five days from now, we will put the plan into action," Pein announced to the gathered members of Akatsuki around him.

His ringed eyes lingered on Deidara for longer than was necessary, but the artist was oblivious to this. Pein knew Deidara would tell the Hokage of their plan to kidnap Naruto and exactly when they were going to carry it out. The boy thought he was being manipulative, when really Pein and Madara could read him like a book.

"Five days? Fucking hell, we've still got to wait in this shit hole," Hidan complained loudly, flopping backwards in his chair.

Deidara snapped irritably, "All you do is whine. We've waited for so long, five days won't make a difference."

"You are dismissed," Pein finished and his hologram blurred, disappearing into thin air.

Itachi's eyes flickered to Deidara. He watched as the impulsive bomb user left the room quickly, probably to get to the Hokage and tell her. Itachi frowned minutely as thoughts whirled around in his head. Deidara was definitely working for Konoha and Itachi was aware that Pein knew this, but why would Pein have told Deidara when they were planning to take action?

It was definitely a trick. That would mean that the offensive would have to be launched within the next four days, so that Konoha wasn't prepared. Itachi moved to go after Deidara and Kisame touched his forearm subtly, a warning.

_Be more careful about it. _Kisame warned him.

Itachi had forgotten how much Kisame knew and after a silent moment, he nodded. He left with his partner to go back to the chuunin examination hall, impassive as usual.

* * *

Orochimaru fell to his knees, a crackling blue sword embedded in his chest. He looked up at Sasuke and Sasuke had expected fear or anger from the man, _anything _but triumph. The man who had ruined his childhood was smirking, like he had just won all the money in the world, and the need to wipe that smirk off his face was overwhelming.

"Even now, you still need your brother to help you," he rasped.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he demanded, "What?"

"I was at half strength when you fought me. Your brother and I had already fought."

His jaw cracked to the side as Sasuke punched him as hard as he could. He snarled, "Don't fuck with me, I was the first person to reach the tower."

"You know I'm telling the truth, Sasuke-kun. My chakra levels were low for the entire fight," Orochimaru said, his voice a snaky seductive hiss.

And Sasuke froze. He was right, Orochimaru had been fighting like he had just come back from a really difficult spar and he hadn't been able to use any of his higher level jutsus. The fight had been too easy.

"He probably thought you were too weak to properly fight me yourself-"

"**Shut up!"** Sasuke shouted at him.

He gripped the handle of his sword tightly and forced a surge of lightning chakra into the blade. It killed Orochimaru instantly and after his body fell with a sickening thump to the floor, Sasuke's heavy, angry breathing filled the silence of the room. His entire body was quivering with rage.

_Itachi would never have fought him, Itachi would never have done something like this for _me _of all people, he wouldn't, he wouldn't, __**he wouldn't**__-_

"Sasuke?" Kiba's rough voice wafted over to him from the doorway and Sasuke's head jerked up instinctively.

Kiba hesitated at the sight of Sasuke's outraged expression and slowly, the anger melted from his face. It still lingered in his eyes though, like a virus underneath the skin, and Kiba didn't want to know what had come to pass between the former master and pupil.

"We need to go back right now. Tsunade-hime says that Akatsuki are going to attack Konoha for Naruto in five days," he informed Sasuke.

Sasuke's jaw pulled taut and he managed, "It takes us five days to get from Sound to Konoha at full speed."

Kiba said grimly, "I know. The chuunin and genin just have to hold out until we get there."

* * *

"_You are…" a voice behind Itachi spoke and he turned his head slightly to see the speaker._

_The sparkle of the river was brilliant as usual and it was reflected in Sakura's emerald eyes. He could clearly make out the tear tracks on her face as she approached him and her hands were clenched tightly._

"_You liar," she hissed at him angrily._

_His crimson eyes narrowed and he stood up as she stormed up to him. Her breaths came in laboured gasps and her face was dripping wet with tears. He stared down at her, annoyance creeping through his mask, and she gritted her teeth._

"_I have not lied," he denied her claim firmly._

_She shouted at him, "Yes you have! You lied about everything, you lied to Sasuke, you lied to Konoha and you lied to me! You said you massacred the clan because you wanted to test your power but that's a lie," she snarled, "Danzou…he ordered you to kill them. And you left Sasuke alive because you couldn't bring yourself to kill your brother."_

_The silence that followed was punctured by Sakura's heaving breaths. Itachi's crimson gaze was locked with hers and he hadn't moved, hadn't said anything at all. _

_Finally, he closed his eyes and asked in a tired, tired voice, "Why are you trying to find out so much about me?"_

"_Because you're important to me," she answered and he opened his eyes again._

_Her hands were clenched tightly in the fabric of her shorts and she was avoiding his eyes as she looked down at her feet. The tears were flowing from her eyes and splattered onto the dock._

"_And you deserve so much more," she said, her voice breaking._

_He took a step towards her, their chests touching. His face grew closer and he spoke against her lips, "I should kill you for knowing so much."_

_And Sakura trusted Itachi as blindly as Shisui had, she would run to the ends of the earth if he told her he was waiting for her there. She knew he wouldn't kill her and Itachi saw that unfailing trust in her emerald gaze. _

"_You wouldn't," she whispered, her voice quiet with firm confidence._

_And after a long pause, the smallest smile pulled at his lips. "Thank you."_

That was how I had planned me and Itachi's confrontation. I wasn't quite sure where'd go from there, maybe I'd become his partner in crime or his lover, or something. But all my planning would probably be useless when I eventually reached Itachi, he was so unpredictable.

I took off towards the Uchiha Compound and when Itachi finally came into sight, I froze. Itachi heard the creak of the wooden dock under my feet and he turned his head slightly to watch me. A long silence fell over the sparkling river.

For the first time, he spoke first. "Is something the matter?"

_Yes. You lied to me, you've been taking the blame for everything that wasn't your fault, you're such an idiot and I love you so much-_

"I wanted to see you," I told him quietly instead.

Surprise flickered in the depth of his crimson eyes for the briefest of moments. I hadn't lied, I really _had _wanted to see him. My footsteps were slow and unsure as I approached him and the muscles in his back slowly relaxed as I grew nearer. I sat down deliberately beside him, closer than I'd ever dared, and stared over the glimmering blue water.

The urge to lay my head on his shoulder nearly overcame me, but I suppressed it. Instead, I clasped my hands together tightly and he watched me, waiting. His eyes were intense and searching, like he was trying to work out a particularly difficult problem and he wouldn't give up until he had figured it out. I tried my best to avoid his gaze and kept looking out over the river.

"This is a relief. You've never been quiet for so long," he stated lightly.

And I wanted to shout at him, scream at him for being so stupid.

"I-" I began but then fell silent suddenly.

My voice stuck in my throat. It had never been this hard before to say anything to him. Then, the words spilled out of me before I could hold them back. "I know Akatsuki is definitely going to end up double crossing Konoha. You need Naruto for your plan, whatever it is, to work, and he'll die in the end."

Itachi said nothing. He didn't need to.

"I know I'm being selfish and stupid by asking you this, but I really don't know what else to do," my voice cracked with desperation and frustration, "There's nothing I _can_ do. And I…I trustyou. I know this will go against everything you're working for and you'll probably be offended, or you'll think of killing me, or-"

"What do you want to ask me?" he interrupted me.

"Please don't do anything to Naruto."

Silence fell between us. He turned his head back to the water and that was the end of that. I didn't know what he was thinking, he had probably completely ignored me. It frustrated me and I wanted to talk to him about what Shisui's letter had said, but every time I tried to bring it up- I ended up talking about something completely different.

_If Sasuke knows the truth, he might forgive you-_

"If you had a chance," I tried again and the words came easier this time, "to be a free man, would you take it?"

His eyes were dark and swirled with something I couldn't name. He was quiet for such a long time, as though he hadn't heard my question. I knew he had. He always listened, even if he didn't always answer.

I looked over the water and forced a smile to my face to hide my disappointment. Of course he wouldn't answer a question as stupid and emotional as that-

"No."

I looked up, startled. He seemed so tired, so weary of everything and I swallowed. It was painful seeing him like this, I almost wished he would go back to being impassive. But this was real, this was genuine, this was _Itachi_ and I knew he was speaking honestly. He was telling me things he wouldn't tell anyone else and I was so scared that if I said the wrong thing, everything would go crumbling to pieces.

But I had to know. I had to ask him.

"Do you want to be free?" I asked.

And he turned his head to look at me, the smallest smile pulling at the corners of his lips. It was as though he was congratulating me on winning a prize that I only now realized I didn't want.

"Yes," he replied.

I managed in a shaky voice, "We do what we have to do, don't we? Not what we want to do."

"We're a greedy race," he murmured.

_But you're not, you've never been greedy, Itachi, Itachi, _Itachi-

I blurted, "I lo-"

"Don't," he interrupted me. "You only think you do because you pity me."

His words hurt. I stood up and left him alone.

The next day, I was told that I was banned from staying with my team any longer. I wasn't allowed to see or contact _anyone _from Akatsuki and none of my arguments or protests would change that. Tsunade wasn't telling me anything, she was keeping secrets from me- but I wasn't stupid. We had defeated Sound, yet she was clearly preparing Konoha for another war instead of letting everyone have their much needed rest.

I was being guarded by a masked ANBU member at all times. Tsunade and the rest of Konoha were scared I might leak information to Akatsuki and I wasn't allowed to see Naruto either. I felt like a prisoner in my own country, but I grit my teeth and bore with it.

"_Sakura?" _

At first I thought I was imagining things when I heard Deidara's voice in my ear. I looked around in shock, drawing the guard's attention, and then I lowered my head to my hands. Something crawled in my ear and I shivered, realizing it was one of Deidara's creations.

"_Sakura, its Ara. What's happening, yeah? Why won't they let me see you?"_ he demanded.

I looked up at the guard and murmured, "I need to use the bathroom."

"_What?"_

I ignored Deidara's confused question and the guard mentally assessed the situation. There were no windows in my bathroom and there was no way for me to communicate with the outside world- all my telephones were outside. The guard finally nodded curtly and I disappeared into the toilet, locking the door behind me with a click. I twisted the shower knob as far as it would go and a powerful, noisy jet of water began to stream from it.

I sat down on the toilet lid and said quietly, "Ara, I'm being guarded. Nobody's telling me anything, but I think they're scared I might assist Akatsuki if you decide to strike at Konoha soon."

He interjected angrily, _"But you haven't done anything wrong! You're the Hokage's apprentice for fuck's sake, they should have more trust in you, yeah. You shouldn't be dragged into this at all-"_

"I know Akatsuki's going to do something soon and-"

"_We're not-"_

"Ara, don't. I'm not stupid. Please, just listen to me."

There was a loud sigh of frustration on the other end and I continued, "I know we're going to end up fighting on different sides, but I just wanted to tell you-"

"_We're on the same side, Sakura,_" he interrupted suddenly.

"…what?" I asked him in complete shock.

"_I'm working as a Konoha spy within Akatsuki. The invasion is going to take place in five days, but it's under control, your Hokage should be able to prevent anything from happening at all. Naruto won't be hurt and nobody from Konoha should be either, everybody in Akatsuki will be taken care of," _Deidara explained everything to me.

"What do you mean by 'taken care of'? What's going to happen to the members?" I questioned him, my voice quivering.

He could probably hear my fear on the other side of the makeshift headset and I clenched my hands tightly in my lap. The stiff silence on the other end told me all I needed to know and I thought of losing Itachi again-

- _and the man I had sworn was Itachi collapsed forwards onto the floor, painting the floor scarlet with blood and all I could think was Itachi, _Itachi, **Itachi** -

"_For fuck's sake Sakura," _Deidara snarled impulsively on the other end, "_Can't you see Itachi's-"_

There was a sudden explosion that shook the entire building and drowned out whatever Deidara was saying to me. I all but threw myself out of the bathroom and into my living room, racing to the nearest window to see what had happened. The ANBU member was listening intently to orders on a headset and I had become all but invisible to him.

Smoke was rising from the Hokage tower.

"_Sakura? Sakura, what just happened? Are you okay-"_

Before my guard could blink twice, I jumped from the window and onto the street below, landing heavily on my feet. Ignoring the impulse to wince, I sprinted towards the tower, hoping I would get there in time. I pulled Deidara's clay creation out of my ear, it was a tiny clay ladybird, and I threw it behind me. It was distracting. My heart beat again and again, again and again, I could feel it thudding in my throat as I raced to get to Tsunade.

I jumped out of the way as a body was thrown towards me and the dying sunlight on the metal of a scythe blinded me momentarily. Without waiting for my vision to go back into focus, I leaped upwards as Hidan's scythe slashed the air beneath my feet.

"Fucking hell woman, you're always in our way," he snarled angrily at me.

I spat back at him, "I'm not about to let you destroy my country!"

He made another swipe at me, slicing off the ends of my hair, and I instinctively pulled a kunai from one of my holsters. I knew that if I tried to block a direct hit from Hidan with a kunai, it would probably break it in half so I dodged every last attack. I took a step backward as he tried to slice me open diagonally, then another one and another one until I faked that I had lost my balance. He took this moment to turn the scythe on its side and use the ends to gouge my stomach out, but I let myself fall to the floor heavily instead of trying to regain my balance like he had presumed I would.

The scythe went sailing above my head and I stabbed one of my kunai into his left shin. He snarled in pain as blood spurted from it, staining my shirt and I rolled away just as he slammed the scythe into the ground where I would have been had I not moved just in time. I rolled backwards and forced myself to my feet, exchanging hate filled looks with him.

"Hidan!" I heard Kakuzu shout from nearby.

It made sense that he was there, Hidan and Kakuzu always went everywhere together. Hidan's eyes never left mine and I made no move to turn my gaze away from him. If I had, I knew he would probably take the chance to kill me without thinking twice. With a snarl of anger, Hidan finally tore himself away from me and sprinted away and up the stairs.

I followed him and threw another kunai at him, it embedded itself deep in between his shoulder blades. Although he stiffened slightly, he kept on running as though it was hardly an annoyance and he took down ninjas right and left. I wasn't running fast enough- he'd make it to Tsunade at this rate.

Kisame was already fighting inside and as I ran past him, he grabbed my arm suddenly. I let out a shout and twisted his wrist backwards, but he was prepared and yanked his arm away, placing a kunai at the small of my back in one breath. I froze, knowing that a single wrong movement would be the death of me.

"I need you to listen to me," he said into my ear breathlessly, "You have to get to Konoha's main security building now."

"Why would I do that? You're about to kill my Hokage! The invasion wasn't scheduled for another five days!" I all but shouted at him, but he added pressure on the kunai and I swore, falling silent again.

"Leader isn't stupid, he knew Deidara was working for Konoha. All Leader wants is Naruto, he doesn't want to take over Konoha or kill your Hokage. She'll be fine. Konoha can go into emergency lockdown, the force field surrounding the villages becomes an impenetrable shield that prevents anything from coming in and going out. This isn't my real body, our leader can use a technique that lets us temporarily take control of other people's bodies and still look like ourselves," he explained.

"Why are you telling me-"

"We have Naruto."

And just like that, everything fell into place.

"Go now," he hissed at me, releasing me and shoving me forwards.

"Why should I trust you?" I demanded angrily.

His black eyes were so deeper than an abyss and I saw something like life flicker in its depths. He told me cryptically, "You should understand."

- **he was human**_and Naruto had trusted Kisame with his life, would have gone to the ends of the earth for him like another Sasuke, because Naruto always _**always **_looked after his friends -_

I left without another word. I ran for my life towards the main security building, trying to sort out everything I had learned from Kisame.

The force field around Konoha could go into lockdown mode. If it was activated while Naruto was outside of the force field, then that meant that nobody would be able to go and rescue him. The Akatsuki members weren't actually in Konoha, they were all presumably with Naruto, so nobody could attack them. The force field could be deactivated and activated from the main security building, which meant that Akatsuki probably had a plan to prevent anyone from deactivating the force field until they were finished with Naruto.

I ran harder and faster. _Naruto, Naruto, Naruto-_

The building came into sight and it was deadly silent. I pushed open the doors that led inside and realized with a jolt that the receptionist was dead, staring unseeingly at the ceiling. The TV screen to her left flickered and fuzzed and I averted my eyes from it, it unnerved me. Taking cautious steps forwards, I reached for a kunai in my pouch.

A blonde haired man appeared at the end of a hallway and I forced myself against a wall as four kunai went slamming into the door I had just entered from. I had barely enough time to think as I lunged forwards, blocking a high kick. He had an unnatural amount of piercings in his face and it made me queasy just looking at him. There was a loud, shrill beeping noise and red lights flashed on and off in the building.

A pre-recorded announcement rang throughout the security building, _"Force field activated. Entering lockdown mode…"_

An unseen force hurled me against a door and the doorknob bit viciously into my side, winding me. I scrambled to my feet and blocked an onslaught of angry blows from the strange blonde man, fighting for all that I was worth. I pulled a syringe from my pouch that held a tranquilizer and as he swung his fist to punch me in the face, I bent backwards almost double and stabbed him in the elbow with the syringe as it went past.

He collapsed to the floor unconscious and I ran towards the control room. Another man, another blonde man with a ridiculous amount of piercings as well stood there and he glanced up at me as I approached him. He was halfway through hand gestures for a jutsu from a scroll and I immediately noticed there was a binding and a shielding scroll beside him.

If he used the binding scroll and the shielding scroll on the building, then that would mean nobody would be able to enter the building and disable the force field. Anyone who did manage to break through the shielding scroll's jutsu (which was highly unlikely) would enter the building and the binding scroll would force them to stay in place for over twenty four hours, including everyone in the building. By the time we were able to disable the force field, Naruto would be dead.

I dashed towards the man, trying to stop him, but he flashed through the last few hand signals just as I got there. My body came to an absolute halt as the binding scroll took over and-

I suddenly tripped forwards.

The ninja and I both exchanged brief expressions of complete shock. I shouldn't have been able to move at all. The scrolls had been fakes, the jutsus hadn't worked. In the next second, I threw a syringe at the man and it sunk deep into his right shoulder. He slumped to the ground unconscious.

Looking down at the scrolls, I drew in a deep, sharp breath. I would know that handwriting anywhere.

Itachi had faked the scrolls.

* * *

Pein's face was usually emotionless, but it was easy to detect the flicker of utmost confusion on his features. His entire body went completely rigid as he discovered exactly what had happened through one of his clones. Golden orbs narrowed suddenly and Pein flashed through lightning quick hand jutsus as he dispelled his technique. Focus returned to Kisame and Hidan's distant faces as they were forced to return completely to their own bodies.

Hidan barked, "What the hell? The force field wasn't even fully up-"

"Kakuzu," Pein ordered him, Kakuzu was still controlling another body inside Konoha, "I want you to go to the main security building now and make sure nobody deactivates the force field. The binding and shielding scrolls have failed, you need to guard the building for as long as you can. Do you understand?"

"Understood," he murmured in a monotone.

On the floor, Naruto lay unconscious. The huge extraction statue towered over him, casting a dark shadow over him. He looked incredibly vulnerable and Pein exchanged a glance with Kisame, clearly instructing him to tie up the jinchuuriki. Kisame did so and, knowing he was being watched, he forced himself to look casual- as though Naruto really wasn't one of his closest friends.

"Can we really do the extraction? There are only five of us and the Kyuubi is the strongest demon," Kakuzu asked doubtfully as they ran towards the extraction area.

There were just five of them, Kakuzu, Kisame, Hidan, Konan and Pein. They had never attempted an extraction with such small numbers and Kisame would be lying if he said he wasn't scared of what might happen.

"We can perform the extraction with six people," A new, foreign voice spoke from Hidan's right and all heads cracked towards the speaker.

None of them had detected him, even though they were all seasoned veterans. The man had dark spiky hair and his face was harsh and lined, he clearly meant business. His eyes startled Kisame, they were blood red and patterned with a Sharingan he had never seen before.

Hidan began, "Who the-"

"Pein, what is the situation in Konoha right now?" Madara demanded.

"The force field has been activated, but the scrolls didn't work. Deidara must have switched them, Kakuzu is protecting the building right now," Pein explained concisely and efficiently.

Shock raced through everyone in the Akatsuki, apart from Pein. Who was this man, that could order their leader around and even call him by his first name? It was unnerving and Pein's eyes flickered to his subordinates.

"We can perform the extraction now. Our goal is almost at its completion," Pein declared, his eyes glimmering with cold triumph.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : Release**

"_Where's your Akatsuki cloak?"_

"**Itachi, no, no, I **_**won't-**_**"**

"Uchiha Madara. We're finishing this once and for all."

"_Don't. Let it end."_

* * *

**Selaaandooraaaa-**

**What was with Sakura's plan to expose Itachi?  
**Um. Well, that was actually the original intended confrontation between Itachi and Sakura. It was very awkward, because even though I did kind of like it, it wouldn't have fit with the end of the story and Itachi was a bit OOC. I didn't want to chuck it away though so I put it in there as her daydream.

**Holy damn. (Please excuse the lame curse.) Itachi's past sucked.  
**Agreed. I'm hoping how that was how the Shisui/Itachi massacre thing took place, because I refuse to believe Itachi could have killed anyone in cold blood. The one thing I'll give Kishimoto credit for is that he always gives his characters depth. He wouldn't have made Itachi a stupid two dimensional villain who's evil for the sake of being evil.

**Ohhh man. Things are really heating up now.  
**Yes they are. This is the third last chapter of Defining Duty, not including the epilogue at the end of it all. Everybody, hurry up and pick who Sakura's going to get with!

**Wait a minute. Where's Itachi? Why isn't he with Akatsuki? What the hell's happening!?  
**Hm. You'll find out in the next chapter.

**Hiei's Cute Girl saw a super hot Itachi at an AnimeCon.  
**MAN. Why don't I ever go to animecons?! If I met a hot guy dressed up as a good Itachi, I would be on him before you could say rape. AHAHA. Itaaachiii. Yess. Ahahaha-

**Hey, didn't you say Itachi was going to meet Ayame?  
**Um, I don't think so anymore actually. I didn't really know how to put her in without slowing down the pace of the entire story.

**Why didn't Itachi reach out and grab Shisui's hand in the last chapter?  
**Itachi was in shock at what he had just done. I would have been as well.

**Why are there lots of Kyou Kara Maoh quotes in this story?  
**I love that show. I haven't actually finished it yet, but I cried so hard at the end of one of the seasons (I don't remember anymore. It's been a while.) Most of the ending quotes will come from V for Vendetta though, I watched it two nights ago and I thought they fit so perfectly.

**I loved Shisui. I want him to come back.  
**So do I. I wanted to write a big long Shisui/Itachi story but then I gave up. I _am_ thinking about a Shisui/Sakura one though. It's definitely different from all the other pairings out there.

**Are you almost done writing the entire story?  
**I'm halfway through the next chapter. It's very intense and sad and scary. I think I'll be in tears by the time I finish it. And that's just the second last chapter.

**Selandora (is going to go watch Twilight now.)**


	18. Chapter 18 : Release

**Chapter 18: Release**

_['The Count of Monte Cristo ends]  
_"_Did you like it?"  
_"_Yeah. But it made me feel sorry for Mercedes."  
_"_Why?"  
_"_Because he cared more about revenge than he did about her."  
- __V and Evey, V for Vendetta_

* * *

Sakura managed to slip through the force field just before it solidified behind her. She wouldn't be able to go back into Konoha until it was lifted, and who knew when that would be? It didn't matter at the moment, she had to save Naruto and even if it meant she had to do it alone, she would.

Kisame was one of her only hopes. She hoped that he would keep Naruto alive for as long as possible, until she got there, if she got there. She shook her head angrily and told herself, _I will get there. I will._

Meanwhile, the other Akatsuki members were making the final preparations for the extraction statue. Kakuzu's face strained with exertion as he struggled to control his clone as well as go through the complicated jutsu in perfect synchronisation with every member. The ground beneath them shook and trembled as the statue slowly opened its eyes.

They silently took their positions upon each of the outstretched fingertips and Kisame nearly hesitated when Madara beckoned for him to hurry and take his place.

_If I fight back now, I can probably delay the extraction for another hour at the most. That's not nearly enough time, _Kisame thought in frustration.

Resignedly, Kisame took his spot beside Itachi's empty pedestal. _The extraction will take four days. Kakuzu's clone will probably disappear on the third day and after that, the Konoha ninjas will come after us. It'll take them another half a day to get here. But the problem is, by that time, Naruto will probably be dead. _

Kisame grit his teeth and forced himself to begin going through the hand signals which would extract Naruto's demon from him. _The only way I can actually save Naruto is to drop out of the extraction halfway through. I've got the biggest chakra supply and it's impossible for them to continue with only five people. But there's no knowing what might happen if the extraction is only half finished. It's risky._

He muttered under his breath, "Why is Itachi never here when you need him most?"

Slowly, Naruto began to glow crimson as the gigantic statue began to suck the demon from him.

* * *

I was so angry and frustrated and terrified and _stupid_. I was the only person outside of Konoha that could possibly rescue Naruto and I didn't even know where he was. I could be running in the opposite direction for all I knew, Akatsuki left no tracks.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, **shit!**" I shouted at myself angrily, forcing myself to run faster.

Then suddenly to my right, there was a bright glimmer of metal. I threw a kunai at it as hard as I could and there was a dull 'thunk' as the kunai sank deep into the rotting bark of a tree. There was barely any light in the forest, what little there was cast bright patterns on the forest floor and there were too many shadows that people could hide in. There was a loud, purposeful crunch as somebody stepped on a twig and I whirled, throwing a handful of poisoned senbon at my enemy.

Metal clinked against metal as the man deflected every last projectile thrown at him. I stared at the person, emerald eyes wide and my chest heaving up and down with adrenalin. My face contorted into a snarl and I lunged forwards with a kunai in my hand.

There was a crash of metal as our blades met and I spat, "Where did you take Naruto?"

The man pushed against my kunai and I let him, taking an instinctive step back before shoving as hard as I could against him. His jaw tightened and the muscles of his arms tensed. I sent a jolt of electrical chakra through both of our kunais and into his arms, where it jumbled up his nerve signals and he was forced to drop his kunai. His arms shuddered with the aftershocks but he recovered quickly, taking steps backwards as I slashed at him viciously.

"Tell me, Itachi!" I demanded as my kunai met air every single time.

I stabbed forwards and Itachi neatly sidestepped the blow, grabbing my wrist as it passed. He twisted it sharply, almost hard enough to break the bone, and he forced it behind my back. In retaliation, I elbowed him in the gut and he exhaled in a 'whoosh' as the air was forced out of his lungs. I shoved myself backwards and into his body, but it did no good.

Before I could raise my elbow again, he grabbed my other arm and held it still. I began to struggle wildly against him, trying to regain control of the situation.

"When your emotions get in the way, it affects your fighting," he told me quietly.

"I don't give a _damn _what you say, just tell me where Naruto is," I snarled angrily.

I strained against his grip and he pulled me closer, his hands tightening around my arms. His body was covered with a light sheen of sweat, both of us were, though my breathing was heavier than his. His chest rose and fell at an erratic pace, probably from the adrenalin, but he disguised it better. I could feel the hot puffs of air against the skin of my neck and it was hard work to force myself _not _to relax, I had become so accustomed to his presence.

He was absolutely silent and I let out a sound of frustration. Naruto was _dying_ and I couldn't save him because of some stupid Uchiha. My gaze flickered down to my feet and I noticed something very suddenly.

"Where's your Akatsuki cloak?" I asked, my anger slowly ebbing away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him dip his head down towards the crook of my neck. His black hair cascaded over my shoulder and he spoke, "It is no longer of any use to me. I didn't see why I should keep it."

"What do you mean 'no longer of any use'? What's going on?"

Itachi's grip on my arms loosened to the point that it was no longer painful, but strong enough to hold me in place. "You're not stupid, Sakura. Figure it out."

I had known the moment I noticed he wasn't wearing his cloak, but I couldn't understand. It made absolutely no sense, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that he would have simply forgotten it. "You've left Akatsuki."

He released my arms and I turned to face him instinctively. His expression was impassive and his eyes were guarded, I couldn't tell what he was feeling. I remembered the request I had made of him the day before with a jolt.

"You didn't leave because I asked you not to hurt Naruto, did you?" I demanded.

"I had other reasons for leaving," he answered tonelessly.

_But was my request one of them-?_

"If we are to stop the extraction, we must hurry. It will take us at least a day to get to them, any longer and it might be too late to save your friend," Itachi explained.

"You're going to help me?"

"In order to achieve my goal, the extraction must not take place," he said curtly.

He turned his back on me sharply and I grit my teeth. Itachi wasn't in a good mood, he seemed tense and it was making me in turn extremely nervous. He was the only one who knew where Naruto was and the only one who could take me there, I didn't have any choice but to follow him.

* * *

"Were you lying to us?" Tsunade demanded Deidara. "You said the extraction wouldn't take place for another five days, but it took place today!"

"I didn't know! They must have lied to me, I didn't hear _anything _about this, yeah," Deidara insisted, but he could see that she had already lost complete trust in him.

With a sigh of frustration, Deidara summoned a gigantic clay bird and leapt onto it before she could say anything further. Tsunade shouted after him, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to make things right," he replied before the powerful flap of wings drowned out anything Tsunade could have said to him.

The bird became streamlined as he forced it to fly faster, _faster_, until the main security building finally came into view. Below, he could see a handful of Ame ninjas that had been stationed in Konoha fighting tooth and nail against Konoha, but it didn't look as though anyone had actually managed to get into the building yet. Deidara soared above them and flew straight through a window in one of the highest floors. Glass sprayed all over the place and cut Deidara above his left blonde eyebrow. He swore, blinking the blood out of his eye and wiped it carelessly with his sleeve.

The bird returned to its tiny original form and Deidara crushed it in his hand, returning the clay to his pouch. He had no idea where the main control room was, but he was sure that one of the Akatsuki member's clones would be guarding it. He pressed a button on his scope and it changed to chakra detection mode.

It wasn't difficult for him to pick out Kakuzu's clone. He ran through hallways and down three floors. As he reached the entrance to the stairwell, a voice cried out, _"Raiton: Gian!"_

Deidara swore as he threw himself to the side. A huge lightning bolt struck down the door and hurled it up the flight of stairs, before it slid back down again with loud repetitive clunks. He didn't have time to watch it however, as another lightning bolt ricocheted through the stairwell and Deidara ran into the hallway.

"Kakuzu," Deidara snarled.

Kakuzu in turn frowned, the stitches around his mouth straining with the movement. He said condescendingly, "I can defeat you at 30% of my power, Deidara. If you want to live, then go hide like the rat you really are."

Deidara spread out his hands and clay spiders spilled from them, scuttling towards Kakuzu. Kakuzu shouted out, _"Doton: Domu!" _

Kakuzu's skin hardened and became as solid as rock, shielding him from the weaker explosions Deidara's spiders created. One of the mouths in Deidara's hands munched furiously on clay as he began to create one of his most powerful bombs. He didn't have to defeat Kakuzu right now, all he had to do was lift the force field, and how better than to actually destroy the building?

Kakuzu lunged forwards and Deidara blocked the kick he aimed at his shoulder. He swore again as Kakuzu began to push him back towards the stairwell and Kakuzu grinned at him triumphantly, "You're not so strong at close range, are you? You need that stupid bird of yours to fight."

Kakuzu punched Deidara in the stomach and Deidara grabbed Kakuzu by the wrist, holding him in place. He shoved the palm of his hand against Kakuzu's mouth, forcing clay down his throat. As Kakuzu choked, he pushed him back towards the control room.

"_Doton: Moguragakure no jutsu_," Deidara hissed quickly, flashing through hand signals. He was pulled down suddenly by an invisible force, through ceilings and floors until he was burrowed deep into the ground.

And then he shouted, "_Katsu!"_

The building exploded above him and the ground trembled. Deidara held his breath for as long as he could before surfacing from the ground with a loud gasp. The force field around Konoha flickered and quivered.

Then it disappeared.

Tsunade looked up in complete shock and listened to the report she was getting through her headset from an ANBU member. _"The Akatsuki member, Deidara-san, destroyed the main security building and lifted the force field. What are our orders?"_

"Assemble into your groups and tell Deidara to lead you to Naruto."

* * *

After a day of running, Itachi suddenly stopped at the base of a grassy hill dotted with trees. I looked at him in surprise, wondering why we had stopped. Then I felt the Kyuubi's chakra, seeping out through the ground and tainting the air around me. My chest grew tight and I resisted the urge to vomit, the chakra was so strong and evil.

"Naruto's under the ground?" I asked Itachi and he nodded, ever so slightly.

"What are we going to do? There are only two of us and there are five Akatsuki members, since Deidara's still in Konoha," I pressed him.

Itachi corrected me, "There are six."

"Six? Who's the sixth member?"

"It does not matter now," he said dismissively, before pulling out a strangely familiar purple bag from his kunai pouch.

He opened it and tilted the contents onto his hand. Sticks of pure white incense lay there, the explosive incense that Deidara had given him as a bad birthday present. He began to stick them into the ground around the base of the hill and I held a hand out to him. He gave me some and I began to help him, digging the incense deep into the ground.

Then, as soon as we were done, Itachi began moving away to a place where he was out of range of the explosion. I followed him and once we were there, I looked at him.

I stared at him and snapped irritably, "What are you standing around for? Aren't we going to bomb the place and rescue Naruto now?"

"I see your friend's recklessness has rubbed off on you," he said dryly. "If we went along with your proposed plan, we would both be dead by the time you touched him."

I blurted, "But what else can we do? I'm not just going to wait-"

"Wait," he told me, "Reinforcements are coming soon."

"You don't even know if they've broken through the force field yet! And if they had, it would take them more than a day to get here, since Tsunade would probably send out a huge group of ninjas. They might get here too late and Naruto will have died because we just sat here on our asses and-"

"Sakura."

He looked at me, his crimson eyes meeting mine. In a very soft voice, he said, "Trust me."

After some hesitation, I finally sighed and went to stand beside him. Our shoulders brushed against one another's and suddenly, there was a scream so loud that the ground could barely muffle it from below. I knew instinctively who that scream belonged to and I tensed, grabbing Itachi's hand beside me.

He delicately removed his hand and I gritted my teeth, staring stonily at the ground beneath me. I tried to see through it, but no matter how hard I strained, all I could make out was the stupid green grass and the stupid brown soil and-

An arm was placed around my shoulder and I was pulled gently towards Itachi. I pressed my forehead against the hollow of his neck instinctively and he put his hands on my waist, splaying the fingers out against my hips. He leaned his head down into the top of my head and let out a long breath.

"When you save Naruto, you must return to Konoha with Deidara immediately," he told me, his voice low and quiet.

I pulled my head away from his neck and he raised his. I gazed into his eyes, searching for some kind of answer there, but they were tired and world-weary. Gripping his shirt beneath my fingers tightly, I said, "I'm not leaving without you."

"Sakura, even if I'm not there, you have to take Naruto back to Konoha. He will die if he isn't put on life support quickly, do you understand?"

"There's something else though, isn't there?" I demanded.

He was suddenly silent and his fingers tightened ever so slightly on my skin. That was all I needed to know and I pressed, "Itachi, what's going to happen? I'm not going to leave you behind-"

"You have to," he interrupted, brushing the back of his hand against one of my cheeks. I grabbed his wrist and laced our fingers together, as if it would keep him with me.

"I won't. I'll never leave you behind." _Too many people have left you behind already and you deserve so much better than that._

"No. No matter what happens, you're going to live."

I was in tears now and he pressed his forehead against mine, our fingers still laced together. With my free hand, I stroked his cheek impulsively and shook my head, gasping, "Itachi, no, no, I _won't-_"

He pressed his lips against mine suddenly and kissed me deeply. His free hand raked through my hair as he pulled me close. Neither of us seemed to have remembered that breathing was necessary as I fought to make it last as long as possible because I didn't want him to go, I didn't want him to leave me again.

This was the least controlled I had ever seen him and it terrified me. Why now? What was going to happen that would drive Itachi to the breaking point?

We broke apart and I whispered against his lips, "You told me that I loved you out of pity, but you're wrong. I love you because you're kind and you're a good person and you're _Itachi_, even though you've made me cry more than you've made me laugh, I love you. I love you."

His silence was fragile. He looked like he wanted to say something and I waited, holding my breath.

His hands suddenly flashed through a jutsu and the hill behind us exploded. He shielded me from the flying dirt and above us, the shadow of a huge majestic clay eagle soared towards the extraction area. Itachi suddenly disappeared and I let out a cry, as though it physically hurt me to be away from him.

There wasn't enough time for us right now. I had to save Naruto.

* * *

There wasn't enough time for Sakura and Itachi, and Itachi knew there never could be.

He blended in with the fray of Konoha ninjas spilling into the extraction cavern and his eyes strained in the dim light. Where was Madara? A rough hand grabbed him by the shoulder and he whirled around, his kunai clanking dully against a thick jagged sword. He felt his chakra draining out of him and Kisame quickly put down Samehada, halting the chakra extraction process.

"Run, Kisame," Itachi told him sharply.

The shark man laughed, a course noise that sounded like raw joy. "I'm not running away from a good fight."

"You'll be killed, all the Konoha ninjas know you're a part of Akatsuki."

"They know I'm the reason why the extraction failed. I even handed Naruto over to that pineapple haired boy. They know I'm on their side and Naruto even confirmed it," Kisame explained.

"Then he's alright?"

"He's fine," he told Itachi, "He lost quite a bit of chakra and he's tired though. What are you still doing here talking to me? Don't you have something you need to finish?"

Itachi blinked in surprise and Kisame grinned at him toothily. He almost asked Kisame how he knew so much, Itachi had never told him anything, but instead he kept quiet. It didn't matter anymore.

He turned his back on Kisame and began to run towards the huge crumbling extraction statue. He needed to get to Madara before he escaped-

"When this is all done, I'll look for you!" Kisame shouted after him.

Itachi didn't reply but Kisame hadn't expected him to. He watched Itachi leave and then he heard a loud, sarcastic snort behind him. He turned instinctively and was forced to parry a savage blow from Hidan's three bladed scythe.

Hidan snarled, "The both of you were always too soft. You make me sick just looking at you."

"When you're dead, you won't have to look at me any longer," Kisame growled back, shoving him back with Samehada before launching into a fight.

Itachi was suddenly attacked by one of Pein's clones, a tall blonde with a ponytail. _I don't have time for this!_ he thought, dodging as it slashed out at him with a long katana. He tried to sidestep it and run past, but the clone blocked his path again, stabbing at him with the sword. Using the palm of his hand, Itachi pushed the flat of the katana to the side and forced his kunai deep into the clone's shoulder. It let out a grunt of pain and Itachi back flipped to avoid a second deadly slash from the clone.

A bird swooped down unexpectedly from above and Itachi shielded his face as explosives were dropped onto the clone, just far enough away not to harm him. He glanced upwards as Deidara jumped to the ground beside him, pressing his back against his.

"I'm taking this guy. His hair disgusts me, yeah," Deidara said decisively and Itachi's eyes glimmered with amusement.

Itachi told Deidara coolly, "He's all yours then."

As Itachi made to leave, Deidara grabbed him by the sleeve and hissed, "You can't die. Do you understand, yeah? Nobody else is going to kill you but me."

Something changed in Itachi's expression. "Look after Sakura."

And without any further warning, Itachi blurred right in front of Deidara's eyes using one of Shisui's body flicker techniques. Deidara swore and quickly leapt back onto his bird as he dodged a blow from Pein's clone. He glanced back and saw Itachi _leaving _the extraction area, and his brow furrowed in confusion.

Itachi's eyes were throbbing, he knew he was getting closer to Madara. It was like some kind of defence mechanism, whenever he came into close range with him, his eyes would start to hurt and the pain would intensify. The once great Uchiha was running again and Itachi would be damned if he let him destroy somebody else's life.

Madara could only switch into either Itachi's or Sasuke's body, and Itachi would rather die than let Madara take over Sasuke. Itachi followed Madara through the trees, even though he couldn't see him, he could sense him and realized with a jolt where Madara was leading him.

_The Valley of the End._

The majestic waterfall drowned out all surrounding noise with its deafening roar and the sunset cast strange eerie patterns on the fragile surface of the water. The two gigantic stone likenesses of the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara stood opposite one another, eyes locked in an eternal battle. The statue of Madara was completely thrown into shadow and Itachi could only just make out the telltale Akatsuki cloak atop of its shoulder.

Itachi moved to mirror Madara, only on the First Hokage's shoulder. Madara straightened up from his sitting position and he stared at Itachi.

Then he began to laugh.

"I never thought you'd come and willingly sacrifice yourself as my container, Itachi," Madara said in absolute amazement.

Itachi's face was impassive. Madara smiled at him, a smile that had been hardened by years of suffering until it no longer held any trace of joy.

"I will make you a deal," Itachi began and Madara looked only moderately interested. "If I become your container, you must promise not to harm or go after Sasuke."

Madara raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Is that it? You don't want me to promise not to destroy Konoha?"

"Konoha is of no concern to me," he stated tonelessly.

And Madara moved so quickly that Itachi nearly didn't detect him until he was standing right behind him. Madara empathized, "Ah, I see. Of course you wouldn't care about Konoha, after all that they've done to you. Well, if it's just Sasuke you want protected, then I'm more than willing to agree."

Before Itachi could say anything further, Madara placed a large, calloused hand on his shoulder. His entire body went icy cold and he could feel Madara's spirit slithering throughout his body, freezing him in place. He could feel the blood begin to stream from his eyes as Madara finally took control.

Madara, now inside Itachi's body, threw Itachi's head back and let out a long scream that pierced the air. He started clawing at himself, tensing and shivering, screaming and shouting as Obito's lifeless body fell to the ground.

Daggers of pain laced through every last inch of Itachi's body and Madara felt like someone was boiling him slowly in acid, his lungs burned with every breath he took and he could barely see. Why couldn't he see? Why did it hurt so much to breathe?

Madara had to get out. He had to escape from Itachi's body and he stumbled forwards blindly, groping for the arm of his previous container. Even if Obito's body was old, Itachi's was in much worse condition and Madara forced his spirit back into it.

"What have you done to yourself?" he hissed angrily at Itachi, outraged that he had been tricked.

Itachi's breaths came heavily as he fought to readjust to the sensation of having control over his body. It didn't last long however, as Madara lunged forwards with a kunai in hand- ready to kill him. He veered to the right, dodging it and landed on the surface of the water, putting space between them.

Raising his hands into position, Itachi began, "_Suiton: Suigudan!"_

Hundreds of thin slivers of water rose as though an invisible hand had plucked them from the waterfall, and with a single flick of Itachi's finger they raced towards Madara. They all stabbed straight into Madara's body, as sharp as knives, but they passed straight through him as he raced towards Itachi.

"_Katon: Housenka no jutsu!" _Madara cried.

Fireballs of varying sizes spewed from his mouth, circling Itachi faster and faster until they blurred. Suddenly they all closed in on him and Itachi exploded into a thousand ravens that opened their dark beaks to swallow the flames. They all turned to Madara simultaneously and let out an unearthly screech, spurting flames from their gaping mouths.

Madara stopped moulding chakra to his feet and he sank almost immediately into the water. The flames licked at the surface of the liquid, evaporating it, but leaving him unharmed. He glanced upwards, looking for Itachi, but a hand suddenly grabbed his ankle and he let loose a stream of surprised bubbles of air. He kicked viciously but the hand pulled him further down, down, down into the abyss-

"_Release_," Madara murmured.

The genjutsu technique that Itachi had used was immediately lifted. In reality, Itachi hadn't moved at all from his place five metres away from Madara on the water's surface. Madara smiled his sickening smile again and shook his head in disappointment.

"Did you really believe I wouldn't see through that?" he asked sceptically.

Before Itachi's eyes, Madara melted away into nothing. A hand reached out suddenly from the water and grabbed Itachi by the ankle, but he aimed two senbon at it. It was forced to release him and he began to run towards the solid stone statue of the First Hokage. The water grew sticky and it grew harder and harder to walk, but he continued moving. He leapt powerfully onto the stone shoulder and waited for Madara to emerge from the water.

A huge tower of water rose from the waterfall and sped towards Itachi. He watched it come and it slammed him against the side of the Hokage's face by his neck. The water melted away to reveal Madara whose Sharingan wheels had begun to spin.

"_Mangekyou Sharingan: the art of mind torture_," Madara hissed and slowly, Itachi's world began to bleed a dark and fatal red.

Itachi was trapped in Madara's genjutsu now. He was completely alone in the Valley of the End and there was no sound, not even of trickling water. He took a step forward and ripples spread from his foot, ripples in what he realized was not water but blood. As he strained his eyes, he noticed the writhing figures beneath the surface, people from the Uchiha clan who he had killed. He recognized the faces. He had to force himself to keep walking.

_Left foot_. His father.

_Right foot. _His mother.

_Left foot. _Shisui.

_Right foot._

**Sasuke**-

Suddenly, Itachi was standing at the edge of the waterfall. The silence was deafening and pressed against his ears heavily, the sudden urge to jump filled him. He hated himself, he hated living, he hated everything and he had finally been given the chance to make it all stop. Madara no longer mattered, the Uchiha clan no longer mattered, Konoha no longer mattered, Sasuke no longer-

- **that's what being an older brother is all about **-

Itachi jumped over the edge.

Instead of plummeting straight down into the dark nothingness below, he…he flew. He soared straight up into the air and it was as though someone had opened a curtain. The world was lighter, the sun was bright and shining and the blood was revealed to be crystal clear water.

His world blurred abruptly as he broke out of the genjutsu. Madara looked absolutely shocked, his genjutsu had never failed before, and Itachi broke free of Madara's hold on his neck. He immediately brought his fist in from the left and it went straight through the side of Madara's face like water.

_How am I meant to attack him when all my attacks go straight through?_ Itachi thought.

He quickly dodged as Madara attacked and he made to stab Madara again. The blade passed through him unharmed once again, but now Itachi could tell how everything worked. Itachi's hands flashed out, but Madara's focus was completely on the kunai in Itachi's grip. He failed to notice Itachi's free hand until it had grabbed him by the upper arm, holding him in place, and Itachi slammed the kunai deep into his shoulder.

There was a shocked pause.

In the next moment, Itachi was hurled against the stone chest of Madara powerfully. Two of his ribs cracked sickeningly and he fell to the water's surface, pain ripping throughout his entire body. He began to cough, over and over, it felt as though his heart was being carved from his body. Someone had taken a white hot knife and dragged it slowly underneath his skin- Itachi had never felt so close to dying before.

_I can't take another hit like that. The next one I take will be last, h_e thought firmly.

"You worked it out already?" Madara demanded.

Itachi got to his feet, trying to disguise his weakness but it was too late. Madara had seen everything, even the blood on his face. With every step Itachi took, his broken bones shifted and he could feel them moving underneath his skin. If he moved too much, they would pierce through his skin.

"To dodge, you move your body at light speed and then return to your original position. The blade doesn't touch you at all," Itachi explained tonelessly.

Madara lunged forwards suddenly and Itachi took a huge leap backwards, meeting Madara's furious gaze easily with a cool one of his own. Madara raised his kunai and stabbed Itachi deep in the chest. Itachi simply stared at him and then his body began to expand, his face bloating and becoming disfigured. Unsure of what was happening, Madara took a step backwards.

The replica of Itachi exploded, throwing Madara back twenty feet. The real Itchi took this chance to begin to attack him, forcing him towards the edge of the waterfall. Madara blocked a vicious diagonal slash with a kunai of his own and there was a loud chink as a hidden blade sprung from Madara's sleeve, creating a long gash across Itachi's arm. Blood streamed into the water and Madara could see something dark swimming underneath him out of the corner of his peripheral vision. It was another Itachi bunshin and he quickly moulded lightning chakra to his feet. He stomped once on the water's surface, causing lightning to strike the bunshin, and it disappeared with a series of bubbles.

Madara kicked Itachi in the right shoulder and he raised an arm to block it, wincing. He froze for less than a second as his ribs burst through his skin, causing immeasurable pain to rip through his body, and that was all the time Madara needed to stab him deep in the chest.

Then Itachi disappeared with a quiet poof of smoke and from below, another bunshin grabbed Madara roughly by the ankles. The real Itachi stood on the water's surface, barely ten metres away from him. Madara grunted and tried to free himself, but the real Itachi was already flashing through hand signals for what would inevitably be his trump card.

He shouted out in a voice so loud his throat hurt, _"Kuchiyose no jutsu: Susanoo, God of Sea and Storms!"_

And the water trembled and clouds gathered as bolts of lightning ripped through the sky. Rain fell suddenly, torrentially, upon their backs and Itachi arched suddenly, throwing his head back. His onyx black hair was plastered to his face and he reminded Madara so vividly of the First Hokage-

A gigantic skeleton began to emerge from the skin of Itachi's back and he clenched his teeth viciously, withstanding the pain. It surrounded him protectively and flesh materialized onto the bones, glowing spectral flesh that was made entirely out of chakra. Susanoo had awakened and he smashed the sake gourd in his hand open- the clear liquid transformed into Totsuka's sword, the sword that wasn't a sword.

Madara couldn't move and could only watch as Susanoo raised the sword high above his head. One hit, and Madara would be trapped in a genjutsu forever- worse than dead. The sword came plummeting down and crashed through Madara's body, the light fading from his eyes instantaneously.

A deadly silence fell over the Valley of the End.

Itachi was the first to fall to his knees, gripping his chest as the skeleton of Susanoo forced itself back into his body. His ribs had actually broken through his chest and he fought not to look at the bloodstained bone, or to feel the sickeningly warm blood seeping through his fingers. He coughed instinctively, blood flecking the water in red floating ribbons, and it was only then Madara collapsed.

Madara stared up at the First Hokage with wide, unseeing eyes. It was as though he was seeing the statue for the first time. Then the torrent of the river slowly carried him down the river and his body disappeared over the roaring waterfall.

And then Itachi almost laughed bitterly.

_It's over_.

**- but that wouldn't change the fact that Shisui was still dead, that the Uchiha clan was gone, that Sasuke still hated him, that Itachi was dying-**

Itachi dragged himself back towards the forest, trailing crimson behind him as he went. He coughed and almost choked on all the blood in his mouth, ignoring the intense burn of his chest, the broken bones protruding from his skin. He wanted to lie down, his eyes were so heavy and his body was so tired, but he raised one foot after another, heading towards an unknown destination. With every step, he could feel his life trickling away and the image of a crying pastel haired girl flashed through his mind.

_It's over._

* * *

Sometimes, you get sudden unexplainable urges to do things and you have to obey them, no matter what. I was getting one of those right now and I ran from the battlefield, deep into the forest. Behind me, I could hear Deidara yelling my name, but his voice quickly faded into the silence that had engulfed my mind.

My heart beat heavy in my chest, thudding against my chest. Something like fear, something like anxiety raced through my body, filling me with adrenalin and I couldn't understand it.

- **no matter what you're going to live **_and his words were cryptic and heavy with meaning, his crimson eyes dark with a sense of acceptance -_

Had something happened to Itachi? He hadn't been at the summoning site, I hadn't seen him anywhere. I began to focus, searching for his chakra, and felt a weak throb from somewhere less than twenty minutes away from me in the direction of the Valley of the End.

I swallowed, Itachi's chakra flickered dangerously, and I ran. My shoes slapped noisily against the forest floor, I didn't care about being stealthy anymore as long as I reached him quickly, as long as I _knew he was safe_-

Then his chakra suddenly died.

_Itachi, no, no, no, __**Itachi**_-

I sprinted, faster, faster, faster. My feet screamed in protest as I moulded more chakra to them to the point that they were bleeding through my sandals, but I didn't care, all that mattered was Itachi.

Hot tears began to prick at the corners of my eyes and the colours of my world began to blur into one another messily as I remembered that Itachi's eyesight was terrible, and that his heart was weak and that he was so close to dying-

_He's not dead, he's not dead, he's not-_

Then a figure came into view.

My heartbeat pounded heavily in my ears. Itachi was slumped against the base of a tree, his head hanging heavily on his chest and his eyes were closed. Blood seeped from his chest, his face, his stomach and it contrasted sharply with his pale, pale skin.

"Itachi," I gasped out his name, rushing to his side.

I placed my hands against his arms and he barely even registered I had touched him. His eyes remained closed as I began to assess the damage. He was barely breathing, but I could hear the blood rattling in his chest with every breath he took. His heart beat sluggishly as the dark chakra within him began to eat away at it, choking it, poisoning it. There was barely enough blood in his body to keep him going, it was all over his clothes and on the ground in a thick dark trail. I began to mould chakra to my fingertips and it seeped into his bloodstream, forcing his body to produce more blood -

"**No**," he said suddenly, sharply.

I could see my shocked expression in the glaze of his eyes and he then repeated himself in a quieter, softer tone, "No."

"Itachi, you're dying," I pleaded with him, "You have to let me help you."

And suddenly, spontaneously, he kissed me.

I could taste the blood on his lips and I swore I could feel his life trickling away. His hand struggled to my cheek and I placed mine over it, holding it in place so that it wouldn't fall. He broke the kiss and our foreheads remained pressed together, his eyes shut as his breaths came in and out painfully. I tightened my grip on his hand and his fingers twitched against mine, he was so weak.

"Itachi, stop," I demanded, "I need to- I've got to-"

"It's useless," he murmured. "Let it end."

"Don't say that, Itachi. I can still save you."

He began, "I-"

He collapsed forwards and I caught him, feeling the bones of his ribs dig deep against the skin of my arms. His breaths came in and out raggedly as he coughed, blood streaming from his mouth, and I pressed my hands gently against his chest, healing him again. He was too weak to protest, whenever he blinked, his eyes shut for a little longer than the last.

"Keep talking, Itachi," I told him desperately.

He had to keep talking to me because I wouldn't be able to take the silence right now. Silence scared me more than anything because that would mean he was…

"What were you going to say just now?" I asked, my voice breaking.

He said softly, "I told you to go back- with Naruto."

"I _told _you, I wasn't going to leave you behind."

"You're too stubborn."

"I'm not the only one," I said and he let out something that sounded like a laugh. It quickly changed into a fit of coughs as it pained him and I gripped his hand tightly as more blood, too much blood trickled from the wounds in his chest.

He murmured, "You're wasting chakra."

"I'm not!" I snapped at him, frustration taking over.

His voice was softer still, like he didn't have the energy to speak any louder. "Sakura."

I forced my chakra into his body, closing wounds and creating more blood in his body to replace the old. Everything was too slow though, it was a race against time and I couldn't lose, the consequences were far too devastating. His body began rejecting my chakra and that could only mean one thing.

I couldn't save him.

"No," I said through gritted teeth, "No, no, _no, no-_"

"Stop healing me, Sakura."

"Itachi, no, I won't, you're not going to die. I won't let it happen."

"You won't be able to get back to Konoha," he told me. "You won't have enough chakra."

"**I don't care!**" I shouted, my entire body trembling.

Tears spilled from my eyes before I could help it because at the end of it all, he cared for me, he cared and I didn't deserve it. My chakra withdrew into my own body without my consent and refused to go any further into Itachi's no matter how much I forced it. He was going to die.

"Tell me one thing," his words came in a pained rush, "Did you mean what you said outside the extraction area?"

"I meant it. I meant it, Itachi."

His hand found mine and he held it, his ruby red eyes watching me. He never took his eyes off of mine, even when his entire body tensed and his grip on my hand tightened, as though he was never going to let go.

Then his hand fell limp in mine as he closed his eyes.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview : The Final Choice**

"_Are you even listening to yourself?"_

"**I need your answer."**

**

* * *

**

**If you've got any questions about DD, you'd better hurry up and ask them. We've only got two more chapters to go. : (**

**Is this fic going to be finished by 2009?  
**Unfortunately, no. The last two chapters are difficult to write, this one was really hard as well. I kept putting off writing Itachi's fight with Madara cause I hate writing fight scenes and of course the final part with Sakura and Itachi was hard to write.

**Wow. Sakura is really emotional and she's a bit of a...well, wuss.  
**Yeah, sorry about that. I started her off emotional and I can't really change her personality now. I wanted her to be a contrast to Itachi, but I do realize she's never had her big epic scenes. I'm trying to change that in my other story, Say, so hopefully that works out.

**What was Deidara going to say before the tower exploded? I need to know!  
**You'll find out in the next chapter. (Ah, I love having this power.)

**Do you think a happy ending for Itachi and Sakura is possible?  
**That's a bit of a tricky one. There are some people who do it really well (LOOPHOLE FOR THE WIN), but to be honest, I'm not sure. It depends on how the characters are written. I know my Itachi is definitely a lot more compassionate than other authors, but I've had the advantage of seeing the latest manga chapters. For THIS Itachi and Sakura though? You'll find out in the next chapter.

**Sakura and Itachi would so get together if the Uchiha clan wasn't killed.  
**Duh. Itachi's so much better than Sasuke in every way possible. And he's nicer and cooler and prettier too. YEAH.

**Is Kisame more loyal to Itachi than Akatsuki?  
**I think none of the members of Akatsuki are loyal to it, apart from Pein and Konan. It's a means to an end, or something the members are doing in their free time, and I think the only reason why Kisame is still hanging around is because of Itachi. So yes.

**Won't Sakura always be a little bit scared of Itachi?  
**I don't think so. She's spent so much time with him and knows so much more about him. She loves him so much and trusts him, there's not enough room in her heart for fear right now. (God, that sounded corny.)

**Selandora (actually really liked Twilight.)**


	19. Chapter 19 : The Final Choice

**Chapter 19: The Final Choice**

"_I told you, only truth. For 20 years, I sought only this day. Nothing else existed…until I saw you. Then everything changed. I fell in love with you Evey. And to think I no longer could."  
_"_But I don't want you to die."  
_"_That's the most beautiful thing you could have ever given me."  
__- V and Evey, V for Venetta_

* * *

Once Itachi had been proclaimed dead, nobody quite knew what to say to Sakura. She had known that he was dead, she had _been _there after all, but it was quite a different thing to hear it announced officially. It was like it was emphasising his death, twisting the knife in an already hilt deep wound.

But, if you took one look at Sakura, she didn't seem as affected as she should have been. Only Naruto could pick up on the little things- how she spent every last moment at the hospital, the haggard circles under her eyes from insomnia and her quieter, more mature tone of voice. He could see the change clearly and it worried him more than words could ever say.

"Can't you see it? She's different," Naruto tried to make Sasuke see.

The Uchiha stared straight ahead of him blankly, taking an uncaring sip of sake. "She shouldn't have become close to that man then. She's an idiot."

The sake saucer in Naruto's hand nearly cracked, but he managed to restrain himself at the last moment. He said in a tense voice, "It's something you wouldn't understand, isn't it? You don't understand what it's like to love someone."

"He manipulated her and she fell for his tricks. That isn't love, it's stupidity," Sasuke retorted sharply.

"**No.**"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, who had set his saucer on the table. Naruto's jaw was clenched tightly and his hands were balled in the fabric of his black pants. He couldn't bring himself to look at Sasuke out of fear that he might actually hit him.

Naruto began, "During the extraction…you begin to hear things and see things through the demon inside of you, even though you're unconscious. All of your senses become stronger and I could hear Sakura and Itachi above me, speaking."

- **you have to live **_and Naruto would have missed the pleading tone Itachi's words held without the Kyuubi's ears, Itachi really wanted Sakura to live _even if he couldn't_ -_

"Don't you _ever _suggest that Sakura's love for Itachi isn't true or stupid. If you ever try to harm either of them or come between the two of them - I'll kill you myself," Naruto snarled.

He slammed his money down and the entire sake stand quivered with the force. Naruto left Sasuke behind wordlessly and he was left staring bitterly into the reflective surface of his alcohol. Sasuke gaze met that of his reflection's and he stared into a pair of onyx eyes that he knew only too well.

His right arm lashed out and hurled the sake saucer against the wall of the stand, shattering it into pieces.

* * *

"It's essential that we carry this out quickly as possible. The Ame troops are still weak from the earlier battle and haven't reached Ame yet, we have the advantage here. We know the terrain better and we're in better condition," Danzou announced to his subordinates, who were ringed around him in his office.

He addressed a tall, thin man dressed completely in black. "Fujisaki, you will lead Group 1. Your group is the fastest and the stealthiest, I want you to prepare traps and genjutsu for the Ame army."

Fujisaki nodded and the man beside him, Aizawa, straightened and waited for his orders. Danzou instructed him, "Aizawa, you're in charge of Group 2. You will provide back up for Group 1 and help them in case of any mistakes- not that there will be any."

"And Sai, I want you to lead Group 3. You will be attacking from the-"

Then, Sai smiled. It was a smile full of triumph and he told Danzou firmly, "No."

Danzou was lost for words, Sai hardly ever defied him. "What?"

"You heard me," Sai said sharply.

The old man blinked and the room was suddenly filled with ANBU class ninjas, half of them the ninjas that Danzou had just been ordering. He backed away slowly and his back thudded into someone. Turning quickly, he was met with the furious gaze of the fifth Hokage.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tsunade demanded. "What made you think that you had _any _authority to launch an attack on Amegakure's army?"

Danzou's free hand clenched tightly and he dug his fingernails deep into the fleshy palm of his hand. He straightened regally and said, "You are too weak willed and not a fit Hokage for a village the size of Konoha. If we do not attack them now, Amegakure will inevitably fight us again, Tsunade."

The lack of an honorific made everyone in the room bristle angrily. Tsunade ignored it, she had never been particularly attached to the name Hokage anyway. She hissed at him, "Are you a fool? If we attack Amegakure, then all of their allies will involve themselves in this war as well. Iwa and Mist are formidable enemies and their armies are in perfect condition- Suna is powerful but against three powers, we will not win. The new leader, Konan, is a peaceful woman, both sides have already agreed to a permanent alliance between Konoha and Amegakure."

Something like insanity flickered in the depths of Danzou's eyes and he snapped angrily, "No. Konoha is more powerful than them, Konoha will overpower them. We are the strongest village and you are too blind to see that- we need to reassert our position-"

"You are banished from Konoha, Danzou," Tsunade interrupted him coldly. "You will leave now, without any belongings other than those on your person. An ANBU squad will escort you to the border."

Before Danzou could protest, a group of five ANBU members had already forced him out of his own office. Tsunade exchanged a look of relief with Sai and she turned to leave as well.

"Wait, Tsunade-hime," Sai called out.

- _and Sai had walked in on Sakura just as she was reading through files he was sure he'd never seen before, then she disappeared and he followed her home-_

"I think…there's something you need to see," he told her.

- _Sakura had left the files underneath her mattress and while she was on hospital duty, Sai slipped into her house like a shadow and took them, putting them back inside Danzou's desk-_

Sai knelt on the ground and pressed the disguised button on the leg of Danzou's table. There was a clunk as the wood slid into place and the hidden compartment underneath the desk was revealed. He slid his hands into the hole and pulled out first the files Sakura had stolen, and then the countless others stored there.

"What is this?" Tsunade asked in complete shock.

Sai made sure that the first file he handed her was the one on the Uchiha Massacre. She opened it and her hazel eyes scanned the pages. Her hands tightened on the folder, crumpling the papers slightly, and her jaw set into a firm line.

"I should have him executed," she hissed furiously.

Sai told her in a detached voice, "There's no need for that. Once he's out of Konoha's borders, I'm sure some wronged missing-nin will want to take revenge on him."

* * *

"Are you sure you aren't going to stay in Konoha? Baa-chan said she'd make you an official citizen of Konoha if you wanted, to thank you," Naruto asked Kisame hopefully.

Kisame shook his head and grinned, revealing his pointed teeth. He told Naruto, "I've lived without a village for too long, and anyways, I'm thinking about retiring."

"Retiring? You're not that old," Naruto blurted.

"Do you even know how old I am?" Kisame asked in amusement.

Doubtfully, Naruto suggested, "Twenty six?"

Kisame shook his head and laughed, a warm, rumbling laugh. He shrugged and said, "Maybe I'll drop by if you become Hokage."

"Well I'm _going _to be Hokage, so you'd better come back," Naruto threatened him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll believe that when I see it," Kisame said dismissively.

Naruto scowled at Kisame in annoyance, but his expression slowly melted into one of concern. He asked him quietly, "Are you sure you're going to be alright? Aren't you going to get lonely?"

"I'll be fine. I'm going to meet up with an old friend of mine," Kisame explained.

Naruto asked distastefully, "You're not going back to that Hikari girl, are you?"

Kisame smiled guiltily.

"You know what, it's not up to me how you live your life. Even if you do deserve much better than her. Tell me where you're living, okay? I'll come by," Naruto told him.

A smile split across Kisame's face, a real, genuine, grateful one. He said softly, "Thanks."

Kisame glanced away for a moment and folded his arms over his chest firmly. In a rough voice, he told Naruto, "Now stop it, all this emotional stuff is making me sick. I might burst into tears any moment now."

Naruto rolled his eyes and slung an arm around Kisame's broad shoulders amicably. They both set off in the direction of Ichiraku and made an unlikely pair, especially since Naruto was straining to reach Kisame's shoulders.

* * *

There were so many files that Danzou had hidden, and it made Tsunade sick to think that most of them were dated back to the time of the Third Hokage's rule. She entered the assembly hall and made her way onto the podium before every ninja in Konoha. Her eyes flickered to the pink haired woman sitting in the twelfth row before darting back.

She cleared her throat and announced, "As the Hokage of Konoha, I feel that I should not hide anything from you. You have worked as hard as I have to protect Konoha with your own sweat and blood. You have also been…fooled, as I have, by a man of pure evil- Danzou."

Murmurs of surprise and apprehension filled the assembly hall and she raised a hand to silence them. She continued, "This may be difficult for most of you here to accept, but there are many things that need to be set right. I will not address all of them here, however there are a few that I feel I must tell you."

"As many of you know, Uchiha Itachi recently died in the attack at the age of twenty eight," Tsunade began.

Sasuke immediately tensed and began to stand, but Kakashi gripped his arm tightly and forced him to remain seated. A head of pastel pink was slowly raised and Deidara stared at the Hokage in confusion.

"At the age of thirteen, he went insane and massacred the entire Uchiha Clan." Tsunade said.

Then she paused.

"This is not true."

People began to mutter amongst themselves indignantly and she raised her hand again to silence them.

"A hidden file has been found in Danzou's office revealing the truth behind the massacre. Uchiha Itachi was a member of Root and was told by both the Sandaime and Danzou to spy on the Uchiha Clan. At this time, the Uchiha Clan was planning a revolt against Konoha. If Itachi's role as a spy was ever exposed or he was threatened, he would be moved to Whirlpool Country immediately and be given a new identity to protect him."

She nodded and a projector was turned on, illuminating the screen behind her. An intricate blueprint of Konoha and clearly labelled attack plans was projected onto the white screen, before flicking to random pages of Itachi's detailed report. They were all stamped with both Danzou's and the Hokage's official chop.

"On the night of the Uchiha massacre, the Uchiha Clan decided to put their plan into action. Itachi contacted both Danzou and the Sandaime to warn them about the attack that was going to take place that night, but a Root member intercepted the message travelling to the Sandaime. Only Danzou received the message and he ordered Uchiha Itachi to massacre the entire Uchiha Clan."

A sheet showing the order to intercept the Sandaime's message, and to massacre the Uchiha Clan showed on the screen. Danzou's signature underlined both of them.

"But he didn't kill everyone. Why did he leave me alive?" Sasuke's pained voice rang out in the assembly hall.

Tsunade looked at him and opened her mouth to speak, but a firm voice interrupted her.

"Danzou ordered Uchiha Itachi to kill his younger brother. He refused and threatened to tell all of Konoha the truth behind the massacre, unless Uchiha Sasuke was protected at all times and it was ensured that he never find out what really happened that night. Danzou revoked Itachi's right to a new life in Whirlpool and forced Itachi to become a missing-nin. Itachi willingly took the blame for the massacre," Sakura answered him.

Her streaming emerald eyes met Sasuke's wide eyed stare. "He did all of this because he loved you."

Silence fell over the assembly hall.

"Uchiha Itachi revoked his membership to Akatsuki the day before the invasion. He fought on Konoha's side during the battle and died as a result," Tsunade revealed.

She finished, "Although Konoha wronged him greatly, Uchiha Itachi still fought to protect both his brother and Konoha. It is impossible now to properly repay him for all that he has done, but his name will be carved onto the memorial beside his fellow heroes here in Konoha."

Sakura bowed her head and gritted her teeth as teardrops splattered against her tightly clenched hands. It was so difficult to keep herself from crying, but as she looked up…there were others in the room who were crying as well. There were hundreds of other people who were crying for the loss of Uchiha Itachi.

They were mourning the loss of a **hero**_. _

* * *

When Sakura asked Tsunade if she could move away from Konoha, Tsunade could see her former self in her eyes. Sakura was the exact same, trying to distract herself from Itachi's death as Tsunade had done with Dan. They both had been unable to save the people they loved and they were both suffering because of it.

"Do you have any idea where you'll go?" Tsunade asked Sakura.

Her student looked down at her hands and swallowed painfully. She told her, "I was actually thinking about going to Whirlpool first, and then I'd travel around for a while. There must be villages somewhere that need a medic."

"You can't heal, Sakura. Your body is already under tremendous stress- using chakra will kill you faster," Tsunade told her sharply.

"I know," Sakura stated.

A tense silence fell over the room.

Tsunade asked, "Why Whirlpool?"

"It's…it's where Itachi was meant to go. I feel like I owe it to him to see it at least once…to see the life he should have had," Sakura explained quietly.

"I'll have them notified of your arrival then-"

"No. No, it's okay. I think I can make my own way there and no offence or anything, but I'd rather people not know I'm your pupil. People tend to get intimidated," Sakura said with an apologetic smile.

Tsunade sighed and put down her pen. She leaned back in her chair and stared at Sakura, looking incredibly tired and old. She murmured, "What am I going to do with you?"

She shut her eyes and sighed again, shaking her head. Her eyes shot open when a pair of lithe arms embraced her fondly and Sakura said gratefully, "Thank you for everything you've done for me. I really appreciate it."

Tsunade relaxed and patted Sakura's hand in an uncharacteristic show of affection. "Get going before I decide to keep you here."

* * *

"You're moving to Whirlpool?" Naruto demanded, and I nodded as I continued packing all of my things into a series of storage scrolls.

"I need to get away from Konoha for a while, Naruto. I'll come back once I've cleared my head," I explained again.

"But what about me? You're just going to leave me behind?" he asked.

His words were like sharp daggers to my heart and I looked at him, properly looked at him. He had grown so much since the first time I had met him. He had been a loud, clumsy idiot in a bright orange jumpsuit. Now he was the spitting image of his father and more than ready to take on the role of Hokage- even if he was still that loud, clumsy genin at heart.

I put my hands on his shoulders and his cerulean eyes darted to the floor, avoiding my gaze. I told him, "Look at me."

He refused to and his jaw tightened.

I repeated myself, "Naruto, look at me."

Finally his gaze met mine and I swallowed painfully when I realised they were glazed over with imminent tears. I could feel some pricking at my own eyes and told him, "No matter what happens, you're always my best friend. Even if I move to the other side of the world, nothing will change that. Do you understand?'

He lowered his head again, his blonde bangs falling over his eyes. A chuckle bubbled up from deep in my throat but it came out forced and strangled. While trying to maintain the smile on my face, I managed, "Come on, go ahead and cry. I won't tell anyone."

He blinked and tears involuntarily streamed down his face as he laughed. I hugged him tightly and suddenly we were both laughing, both crying and both hanging onto each other like we'd never let go. It felt like I was making a mistake, but I couldn't stay, I couldn't stay in Konoha. We both grew extremely quiet after a while and remained locked in an embrace.

Finally Naruto asked, "You're not going to come back again, are you?"

The words were difficult for me to say. "Probably not."

Silence followed. His hands clenched in the fabric of my shirt and he pulled me closer to him, crushing him to his body. I didn't mind because I was doing the exact same to him, because I didn't want to leave him, because Naruto was my family-

He sounded so vulnerable as he asked, "You have to be happy, okay?"

I had to stifle a sob and buried my face into his shoulder, nodding over and over again because I couldn't speak. He repeated himself, "You have to be happy, or I'll come and bring you back. Even if you're in Snow Country, I'll take a boat to the other side of the world just to find you again."

I couldn't take it any longer. I gasped, "I'm going to miss you, I'm going to miss you so much-"

He let his chin rest on the top of my head, I could feel his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed painfully. He was very quiet and then he shut his eyes, tears streaming down his face as he kissed the top of my hair.

After I said all my goodbyes to everyone two days later, I went to the gates to meet Deidara. Sasuke hadn't been around and I had made no particular effort to find him- he was probably still trying to accept what he had just learned about Itachi. Deidara had already created a big clay bird for the both of us to travel on.

I stared at the bird for a moment as an unbidden thought raced through my mind. _This is the last time I'm going to ride on one._

"What're you standing around for, woman? The journey to Whirlpool's only an hour, but at this rate we won't get there until tomorrow, yeah," Deidara's voice cut into my thoughts and I looked up at him.

In mock annoyance, I told him, "I thought we were past the whole 'woman' thing. I'm Sakura, remember?"

He shook his head at me and unexpectedly swept me into his arms, putting me on the back of the bird. I didn't shout at him to put me down, I simply savoured the moment because this was the last time we'd be together like this. Even though we were having fun, it was subdued because we both knew what was eventually coming.

There was a crack as the bird flapped its majestic wings, lifting off the ground. Dust rose around us as the wind spiralled upwards, brushing against my skin in a gentle farewell caress and we rose. Slowly, more and more of Konoha was revealed until I could see everything and…it was beautiful.

The bird suddenly shot forwards. Deidara's voice was rough as he advised me, "Don't look back. You'll doubt your decision forever if you do."

Even though it was so difficult and I felt like I was betraying my country, I forced myself to look forwards to my future. Konoha was behind me now and I was starting a new life, away from it.

The bird jolted suddenly and I screamed, latching onto him for dear life. His laughter filled the air, whipping past my ears, and instinctively I began smiling even though I was angry at him.

"That's never going to get old," he teased me and I smacked him on the shoulder.

"I swear, if you do that again I'll fall off on purpose just to make you feel bad," I seethed.

He pointed out, "You're too much of a wimp to do that."

"No I'm _not_, I'll do it, I really will-"

The bird jolted again and I shrieked before I could help myself. My arms tightened around his stomach and he choked unattractively through his laughter.

I shouted at him, "No really, stop it!'

"Sorry, I slipped a little," he lied with a big lopsided smirk on his face.

"So you're saying accidents like these happen?" I suggested scathingly.

He nodded sagely and said, "Exactly."

A comfortable silence fell between us and he took in a deep breath, trying to make the moment last.

"Thanks, Ara. For everything," I told him quietly.

He gently placed one of his hands over mine and I felt a pair of lips brush against the skin of my knuckles tenderly. He said absolutely nothing.

"Whirlpool's boring," he suddenly blurted. "It's just lots and lots of lakes with barely any training grounds, and all they eat there is fish and all the people smell like fish-"

I laughed at him, but he continued anyways, "So you should just stay with me."

His words were touching because I knew they were heartfelt. At the end of it all, he really loved me and it made me feel so guilty. He was a good person and he had done so much for me, but I loved Itachi too much to find room in my heart for him. It must have been so difficult for Deidara to ask me to stay with him and I rested my cheek against his back, inhaling his scent.

"You know I can't do that," I said softly.

His hand squeezed mine and his jaw clenched tightly in frustration. He glanced down at our hands for a moment, as though he was trying to burn the image into his mind, and then returned his gaze to the endless blue in front of us.

The bird began to slow down and I realised we were coming to the end of the journey. It landed in a clearing beside a gigantic clear pool and I stared at it apprehensively. I pulled out a blue talisman that I was to throw into the water and Deidara helped me off of the bird, holding on a little too long to my hand.

He began suddenly, "If-"

The words died on his lips as he tried to find the courage to ask me again. I waited for him to continue.

"Would things be different now, if you had met me first?" he asked.

I needed time to think about that and I realised…they might have been.

I told him truthfully with a sad smile, "Probably."

He kissed me then, a kiss full of longing and sadness and frustration. It was like he was trying to put all he wanted to say to me into that one kiss and he gripped me tightly, afraid to let it all end. His fingers ran through my hair and it felt like he was memorising everything about me- like he was afraid he was going to forget.

The kiss ended and he pressed his forehead against mine, staring deep into my eyes. He said, "I know you're going to turn around one day and realise that I was the right one for you. So when that day comes, you have to find me, yeah."

I nodded, unable to say anything as I tried to hold back my tears. He took the talisman from my hand and threw it into the pool behind us, creating ripples that arced across the water. Slowly, the water began to churn and spiral into a whirlpool, parting the water to reveal a long tunnel underneath that led to my new home. I had to go quickly before the water sealed off the passageway, but I didn't want to leave Deidara behind. I'd never see him again, _I'd never see him again_-

I was shoved forcefully into the tunnel and a shout was ripped from my throat, like it physically hurt me to be separated from him. I looked over my shoulder, wanting to see him for the last time and my entire body froze.

He was crying.

* * *

When I stumbled out of the tunnel a complete and utter wreck, a pair of rough, abrasive hands steadied me. I looked at Kisame gratefully and he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Welcome to Whirlpool," he said, grinning his wide toothy grin.

Kisame was now an official citizen of Whirlpool. The Mist Kage had died mysteriously around the time of Amegakure's attempted kidnap of Naruto and Kisame had used the situation to his advantage by pulling a few strings here and there. I wasn't quite sure how he had done it, but I decided I didn't really want to know.

I couldn't believe it. I was really in Whirlpool. The underground tunnel had opened up into a valley aboveground and Deidara had been right, there were lots of lakes in Whirlpool. Each of them glimmered in the dying sunlight, much like the river in the Uchiha compound, and the thought made my breath catch in my throat.

I could barely manage to speak. "Is…?"

"He's waiting for you. On the west side of the valley," Kisame told me quietly.

My heart leaped to my throat and my breaths came faster as I nodded, my entire body quivering. I followed the instructions Kisame gave me and at first I walked along the path, then I jogged and then I ran until I was sprinting for my life.

Each step I took wasn't fast enough, I forced chakra to my feet and my blood was pounding in my ears as I breathed in and out, in and out-

- **you can save him **_Kisame had taken all the purified demon chakra from the summoning statue and stored it in Samehada, he held it out to me and I realised there was enough, there was enough there to _save him_-_

Hot liquid burned at the corners of my eyes and my chest tightened as I fought to keep myself from blinking. No crying, not again, not now, he'd probably ridicule me for being so emotional, but we were so close-

- **did you really mean it? **_and his smouldering eyes captivated mine but _why did he even need to ask? -

A figure came into view and I came to a halt.

It was stupid and made no sense at all but…I was scared. Would he tell me to go back to Konoha? Would he tell me to leave him alone? Then the person turned and my heart stopped.

Itachi was standing there, his long black hair blowing gently about his face in the wind. I could make out every last detail on his face, every last eyelash and every hue of black in his onyx eyes. He no longer wore his slashed headband and he looked so _alive_.

"Sakura," he said my name and it was _his _voice calling me.

As though he had broken some kind of spell, I began to run towards him. The tears spilled from my eyes and I reached him, I finally reached him. He took a step back to balance himself and his arms reached out to steady me as I threw myself against him. My shaking hands cupped his face as I kissed him deeply.

Then I realised he too was shaking, as if _he _was the one scared of what was going to happen next. I found his free hand with mine and linked our fingers together, trying to reassure him in any way possible. Then he began to return the kiss passionately, all hesitation gone and I managed a laugh between our fleeting breaks for air.

He told me in a low voice, "You took too long. I thought you'd changed your mind."

"Sorry for making you wait," I apologised, running my fingers through his hair.

"Never again."

_I'll never leave you again, we'll never be separated again, never, never, _never-

"Never again," I repeated his words firmly and kissed him once more.

* * *

**WAIT A MINUTE. The story's not over yet!**

Yep, it's true folks. You've still got one more update until it's all really over- the epilogue per se.

(Deidara and Itachi haven't fought yet, after all.)


	20. Epilogue : Never Again

There was a knock at Deidara's hotel door and he opened it, his face a menacing scowl. The shocked hotel clerk was intimidated by his unexpected anger and stuttered, "Arashi-san, there's someone downstairs calling for you."

"Tell him to go away," Deidara snapped irritably.

"Haruno-san says that it's important," the clerk tried again.

That single name changed everything. Deidara couldn't quite believe it and he asked, "Did you just say Haruno?"

The clerk nodded, straightening his necktie nervously. Deidara brushed past him roughly, shutting the door behind him with a bang and he all but ran down the staircase.

- **when that day comes, you have to find me **_and Deidara had been absolutely serious, he would wait for her forever-_

Sakura had come to see him? Did that mean that she had changed her mind and wanted to stay with him for good? He reached the lobby in record time and his head whipped around as he tried to look for a head of pink hair somewhere, anywhere.

His hopeful expression fell once he laid eyes on the last person he wanted to see. Angrily, he demanded, "What are you doing here?"

"To fight you," Itachi replied quietly.

That wasn't the answer Deidara had been expecting at all. In disbelief, he asked, "What?"

Itachi was already gone though, he had slipped through the glass double doors to the hotel and was walking quickly down the street. Deidara ran after him and caught up, matching his pace foot for foot perfectly.

He asked immediately, "Where's Sakura?"

"She went to Konoha to see Naruto," Itachi replied, his voice deadpan.

"Where the hell are we going?" Deidara questioned, but Itachi just kept on walking.

"We can't fight in the city. There's an area a few minutes away that should be well suited," Itachi explained, clearly intent on getting to their destination.

"What? Does Sakura know?"

"She doesn't," Itachi stated.

Deidara grabbed Itachi by the arm roughly, forcing him to a halt. Deidara told him, "You have to tell Sakura what's going to happen."

"She would never allow it," Itachi pointed out.

"What if something happens to you? She has a right to know," Deidara argued hotly.

"I will come out of this fight alive."

Deidara's expression contorted into one of rage and Itachi began to walk again, out of the city. Deidara had been preparing for this fight, constantly training, constantly fighting, and he wasn't going to let Itachi win. Sakura was no longer foremost in his mind, he was so intent on defeating and killing Itachi.

The area Itachi had chosen was a wide plain, ringed by tall trees. They would be undisturbed here and Deidara would still be able to fly without any annoying branches in the way. Itachi silently took his place at the other end of the plain and waited expectantly for Deidara.

"I'm not going to fly. I'm going to defeat you with my bare hands," Deidara declared, his sapphire eyes flashing.

Itachi fell into a fighting stance, as did Deidara. The soil shifted beneath Deidara's feet and almost instantly, they lunged at each other- kunai clashing silver in the light. Deidara slashed at Itachi's chest, but Itachi ducked and Deidara wisely lifted his right leg as a kunai stabbed the air where it would have been. Deidara grabbed the back of Itachi's white shirt and pulled him up.

"_Bunshin Bakuha!" _Itachi's voice called out.

Deidara immediately dropped the clone of Itachi and he exploded, the heat warming his face instantaneously. Kunai whizzed towards Deidara from all around him, his eyes couldn't even follow Itachi's movements. All he could do was defend himself from the onslaught of kunai and there was a rustle of cloth as Itachi charged. He turned too late and the blade caught Deidara across the arm.

And Deidara smirked.

"_Katsu!" _he hissed under his breath.

A series of explosions went off, forming a protective circle around him. Itachi paused in front of them, just far enough not to be harmed, and Deidara took this chance to slash at him. He succeeded in cutting off the ends of Itachi's hair and it fell to the ground lifelessly. Itachi's fist came at him suddenly and he blocked it with his free arm.

But then Itachi's hand gripped his arm tightly, refusing to let him move. His other hand flashed through jutsu signs and Deidara yanked his arm forcefully, trying to free himself. He brought his leg in for a roundhouse kick and Itachi blocked it by raising his own leg, kicking it away without even looking.

Deidara watched in horror as he completed the signs. Itachi took a deep breath in and Deidara gritted his teeth.

A powerful punch to his stomach made Deidara double over. Then Itachi brought his knee up and it smashed into Deidara's chin. Itachi hadn't intended to use a jutsu at all, he had just wanted to trick Deidara into letting down his guard. Deidara grew angry and he back flipped away, spreading his arms. White clay creatures spilled forth and scuttled towards Itachi, vibrating with chakra.

"_Katsu!" _

They exploded, forming a carpet of crimson that led towards Itachi. Itachi leaped into the air, avoiding the explosions, but Deidara met him in mid-air, their kunai clashing again. Itachi landed on the ground, his arms moving to steady himself but leaving his chest completely unguarded. The sounds of the explosion made it impossible for Itachi to place where Deidara was or what was going to happen next. Deidara saw his opening and took it.

His kunai sank deep into the skin of Itachi's chest, all the way to the hilt.

Silence fell.

It broke with the sound of a rattling cough and dripping blood. Deidara couldn't believe what had just happened and anger, unsuppressed _rage_ flooded through him. Itachi's knees gave out on him and he fell to the ground, his hands gripping the grass for support.

"**You could have blocked that! Why didn't you?!**" Deidara shouted furiously.

Itachi glanced up at Deidara, his eyes unfocussed. He said, "I couldn't have."

Deidara snarled, "You must have seen me coming, I was right in front of-"

Then he fell quiet as understanding filled him. The smallest smirk spread across Itachi's face and Deidara demanded, "When? When did you lose your sight?'

"A few months ago," Itachi murmured.

Deidara snapped, "You shouldn't have fought me then! Sakura's going to be so-"

"She's dead, Deidara."

A sharp punch threw Itachi to the floor and he coughed painfully, his ruined heart pumping blood weakly though his body. Deidara glared down at him and spat, "You lied?"

"You wouldn't have fought me if you knew," Itachi said, forcing himself to his feet.

And Deidara punched Itachi, again and again. Itachi did nothing, not even raising an arm to defend himself, because he deserved it- because _he should have died first_. Deidara's fists crashed against the skin of Itachi's face until his knuckles were wet with blood and all he could think was Sakura, Sakura, _Sakura-_

- **when that day comes, you have to find me **_and she had nodded, she had agreed, but now that day would never _never _come-_

Tears blurred Deidara's vision and all strength fled from his body as a memory of rose coloured hair and vivid emerald eyes flooded through him. He sank to the ground, beside Itachi's broken body and buried his head in his hands. He felt like he was the one that had been stabbed and wished he was in Itachi's place.

"When?" he asked, his voice on the verge of breaking.

Itachi's jaw tightened as he tried to force down the wave of pain that overwhelmed him. The wound was still so fresh and he managed, "She died three days ago."

- _and it had destroyed Itachi to sit by her bedside and hold her hand every day as it grew thinner and thinner, as her hair fell out, to strain to listen to her as she tried to speak, but through it all her laugh had remained the same_-

"She would have lived longer if she was with you," Itachi confessed quietly.

"She wouldn't have died at all if she was with me. I would have looked everywhere for a cure," Deidara said, his voice rising, "I would have kept on looking, even if it killed me."

"She wouldn't have wanted that."

The tears slipped from Deidara's eyes and he pressed his hands against his face, trying to hide them even though Itachi was already blind. His breaths came shorter and he forced himself to keep quiet, but Itachi already knew.

"She missed you," Itachi told him.

"Then why didn't she ever come and find me?"

"She was…scared. She thought you'd be angry at her for not choosing you," he explained.

"That idiot, I'd _never _get angry at her for that. She should have just come to find me if she missed me, I wouldn't have-" Deidara's voice broke and he couldn't finish his sentence. _I wanted to see her so much._

"You...go back to Konoha. We left something for you with Naruto," Itachi told him.

Then they were quiet, united in their sorrow. Itachi shut his eyes and Deidara couldn't keep the liquid from spilling from his eyes, no matter how many times he rubbed his tears away. He remembered Sakura breaking down the hotel wall, parading down the streets as his wife, crying after seeing Itachi again, disappearing underneath the water and he remembered her.

"You really loved her," Deidara told him, not quite a question, not quite a statement.

Itachi said nothing in response. Nothing needed to be said.

Deidara's voice broke. "You bastard. You never had any intention of winning, did you?"

Itachi managed a tired, tired smile. His body was so tired and he could feel life draining out of him like water from a sink. Breathing was more difficult and his chest felt so heavy, it took more and more effort to breathe in and out. Agony ripped through him suddenly, finally, and he knew he was close.

_Never apart, never again, Sakura, _Sakura, **Sakura**-

The silence between the two of them lasted too long.

Deidara bowed his head and gritted his teeth. Then slowly, very slowly, he lifted Itachi's lifeless body and turned towards Konoha.

* * *

Naruto stretched out his ears and made himself cross-eyed, sticking out his tongue. The small eight month old boy sitting on his desk shrieked in delight and slapped Naruto on the face. The hit surprisingly hurt more than it should have and Naruto rubbed his throbbing cheek.

"You're your mother's kid alright," he muttered darkly.

The boy fell silent, his big onyx eyes fixated on the window. Sapphire eyes met onyx and Deidara felt his entire world stop. Naruto followed the Shisui's inquisitive gaze and he jerked in shock when he realised Deidara was hovering right outside his window.

He stood up and immediately opened the window. Deidara walked in and Naruto noticed the long canvas bag he left on the back of his gigantic white bird. All that mattered to Deidara right now was the boy staring up at him innocently. Naruto didn't know what would happen next, but he drew a kunai subtly. Deidara didn't move and then Shisui grinned up at him, throwing his hands into the air for Deidara to take.

Deidara's voice was thick with emotion as he asked Shisui, "Why the hell do you have pink hair?"

Before Naruto could do anything, Deidara swept Shisui into his arms. He couldn't speak, he couldn't think, all he could do was cradle the boy closer to his chest. Naruto turned his head away to give them privacy.

"He's called Shisui," Naruto said quietly.

"Shisui," Deidara repeated.

The little boy reached up, touching Deidara's cheek gently. Something broke **healed** inside Deidara and he shut his eyes.

* * *

_The machine beeps beside her bedside, an incessant beep, beep, beep, and it's beginning to drive Itachi insane. Sakura's hand is cold and thin in his hands, her skin papery and old beyond her years. This is what her compassion has reduced her to, a skeleton in a bag of skin too big for her, and it hurts him._

_He is always so quiet when he comes. Sakura has always started their conversations, but his voice is weaker now. So she smiles because she has to be strong for him, to be strong for herself- but sometimes it's just so hard._

_Her fingers close around his hand. He glances up at her, the bags beneath his eyes prominent and his hair unkempt. He's never looked so dishevelled and haggard and it worries her, worries her what he'll do when she's gone-_

"_You need to sleep," she tells him quietly._

_Anger floods through him. Why was she worried about him when she was the one dying? It flashes in his eyes for a brief moment and his hand tightens around hers, holding her close, holding her forever. She reads the rage in his expression effortlessly – she's the only one who can – and runs her bony fingers through his hair. He instinctively leans towards her, subconsciously seeking out her touch. Anything to make it last._

"_Later," he replies._

_He's terrified of sleeping. If he sleeps, he might miss it when she leaves him. He doesn't want to see her die but he doesn't want to leave her alone, he doesn't know what he'll do when the time comes but he'll do…something…_

_Her voice is weak. "I'm sorry. You probably didn't want to spend a lot of time looking after me in hospital."_

_It's too difficult to speak. He closes his eyes and presses his forehead against her fingers, as though he can pass his life through her skin and into her body. A hand rests on top of his head and she takes a deep breath in, trying to compose herself. He's so close to breaking and he's never needed much before, but he needs her. _

"_Can you lie down next to me?" she asks him softly._

_Wordlessly, he rises and she feels his warm arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She'll miss this, she'll miss him so much and her hands tremble as she places them on top of his. He places a soft kiss on her neck and she tries to smile as a surge of emotion overwhelms her._

_She feels so fragile in his arms, he worries he'll break her. He feels her aged thumbs drawing patterns on his hands nervously and he lets out a deep breath silently. She feels his chest sink behind her and blinks up at the ceiling as a lump forms in her throat._

_She keeps trying, "Did you eat anything today?" _

"_Yes," he lies._

"_Good. I don't want you getting sick," she says in some semblance of normality._

"_Stop it," he orders her, his voice sharp._

_She knows he can see through her mask. Her voice is stronger than she thought it would be as she asks, "What?"_

"_Stop forcing yourself. It's okay to be weak."_

_She blinks again and liquid escapes from her eyes suddenly, crystal traitors. Then slowly, her body begins to shake as her breaths come shorter and shorter, as her tears flow incessantly. He holds her through it all, supporting her, and says nothing._

_She manages in a gasp, "There's no hiding anything from you, is there?"_

"_No," he tells her, kissing her cheek gently._

_Her laugh is muted and broken through her sobs. His answer shatters her resolve and she grips his hand tighter, tighter. She loves him so much and she doesn't want to leave him, she doesn't want to go-_

_Then he says quietly, finally, "I love you."_

* * *

**finished 31st of January, 2009 at 2:37PM.**

A/N:  
If you cried during the epilogue, join the club. I had a breakdown halfway through writing the final scene with Itachi and Sakura.

I really have to thank you guys for helping me through all of this. I know I probably should have gotten a beta (ehehe, sorry guys) but hopefully the bad grammar and punctuation didn't ruin it for you. This is the end of the series, there will be no sequel. I want to thank everyone who read Never Ending Rainfall, Defining Evil and Defining Duty and everyone who reviewed. It's been a long time and I'm very grateful.

Hopefully my writing style improved. :) I started writing the Defining series when I was twelve some four years ago, so I'm a little bit older and wiser now. I tried my best to reply to all the reviews you guys sent to me and for those of you who reviewed, thank you so much. There are too many people I want to thank and I can't put all their names down here. :S

(AHAHAH ITACHI FINALLY SAID IT DAMN IT-)

**Selandora (will probably start crying again very soon. Thank you all again.)**


End file.
